A Family for Sam
by iwrite4fun
Summary: What if... Sam had a daughter and Charlie was still alive? How would things have been different or the same? Starts in Season 1 and continues through Season 3! Sam/Jack
1. Chapter 1

Spoilers: AU, but there are many sticking similarities between seasons 1 through 3 of SG-1.

Pairings: Sam/Jack

AN: Well, this is another cliché fic, with my own personal twist. With that in mind, it is without a doubt AU.

**Chapter 1**

Sam might have only known her teammates for a short time, but there was no way she could out rightly lie to them, especially the Colonel.

"I have a daughter," she admitted slowly in response to the Colonel's question if she had any children.

"Really?" he asked, sounding surprised. "I have a son myself," he admitted proudly.

"Married?" Sam questioned, curious about the family she didn't realize the man had.

"Never," Jack responded.

"Me neither."

The discussion of their family differences or maybe it was similarities ended there, because a Lieutenant came to get the Major.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

"Sir," Sam said as she came to attention for the General.

"Major," the General greeted her. "There was something you wanted to discuss with me?"

"Yes sir. You know about my relationship with Jonas Hanson?" she asked hesitantly and received a nod in response.

"And why we split up?"

"I heard rumors," Hammond admitted.

Sam though about what she was going to say before she continued. "I ended my engagement before I found out I was pregnant and considering why we separated, I thought it best not to inform Jonas. I transferred here and had Jennifer. My dad retired and is currently taking care of her. When Jonas arrived at the SGC, we put the plans on hold for Dad to move out here with her, now that he's dead…" Sam trailed off.

"You can put those plans into motion once more," Hammond finished for her.

"Yes sir," Sam agreed with him.

"Take some time off," Hammond instructed, "Get your family settled."

Sam smiled in thanks and then paused.

"Is there something else Major?"

"I'm not sure I want to continue going through the gate as part of SG-1," she admitted, "I don't want to leave my daughter without a mother."

"Have you talked this over with your teammates?" he asked, "Because I can't imagine them letting you go that easily."

"No sir, you're the first I've told."

"Sam," the man sighed, "I'm not sure what your career aspirations are, but you should be sure about leaving SG-1 before you do it," Hammond cautioned. "Talk it over with Colonel O'Neill too. He has a son and is also a single parent, from what I understand, he might be able to offer some suggestions," Hammond said in a softer tone.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Twenty minutes later, Colonel O'Neill repeated the trek that Sam had made earlier, coming to an end in Hammond's office.

"Colonel O'Neill," Hammond began, "How are things working out between you and Major Carter?"

"Fine sir."

"No reason that she might be thinking of leaving the team?"

"No sir!" Jack assured him.

"Good."

"Did Carter say something to you?" Jack asked.

"Nothing specific son…"

"Is it about her daughter?" Jack guessed, thinking about the new piece of information he had learned about his teammate.

"What do you know about Sam's daughter?" Hammond quickly asked.

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "I just found out today that she has one," Jack explained. "Couldn't even tell you her name."

Hammond looked at the younger officer curiously.

"Guess I'll pay her a visit," Jack finished, "Can't have members of my team not knowing each other's family."

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Jack had to weasel the address for Sam Carter out of the new tech sergeant before he left, so he was running a few minutes late picking Charlie up at school, not that anyone could tell by the amount of enthusiasm Charlie showed.

'You would think that I've been gone for weeks instead of a couple of days,' Jack thought as he gathered his son in a hug, before dumping him in the backseat of the pick-up.

Charlie buckled himself in and asked, "So what are we doing this weekend Dad?"

"I thought about having a BBQ and inviting my team over. That sound good to you buddy?"

"Does that mean I get to meet Sam and Teal'c and see Daniel again?" the boy asked excitedly.

"Yousurebetchya."

oooooooooooooooooooooo

The BBQ ended up being on Sunday because it took Jack that long to get a hold of everyone.

Daniel and Teal'c showed up first, allowing Daniel to engage Charlie in a discussion about how school was going. Teal'c remained the strong and silent observer, waiting until the time came that he could ask questions about the Americanisms that he didn't understand.

Jack was almost convinced Sam wasn't coming when she staggered into the backyard with a little girl that looked just Sam in her arms and a bag thrown over her shoulder.

"I was starting to think you weren't coming," Jack claimed as he reached out, trying to take the girl from her. His attempts was met with resistance as the child threw her arms around Sam's neck and refused to let go.

"Sorry sir," Sam said as she handed the bag over.

"Don't worry about it. I've been there too," Jack insisted as he smiled at the girl trying to appear as non-threatening as possible.

Sam sat down in an empty chair and tried to move her daughter away from her neck, but ended up giving in to the child's desire not to let go.

"She's being more clingy than normal," Sam said.

"That's too bad," Jack claimed, injecting a sad tone to his voice, "Charlie was looking for someone to go play in the SANDBOX with him. Guess he'll have to go play all by himself now."

"O'Neill, what is this sandbox?" Teal'c asked as the girl's head slowly turned and she searched around the backyard for the aforementioned sandbox.

"You've never played in a sandbox?" Charlie asked incredulously.

"I have not."

"Come on then, let me show you how to make a sand castle," Charlie cried as he got up and grabbed the larger man's as if to drag him to the sandbox by force.

"Would you like to join us Major Carter?" Teal'c asked.

Sam looked at her daughter's pleading eyes and then back at the Jaffa.

"Nah, I'm not too good at the whole building sand castle thing. I've always let this one do all the construction, maybe you should ask her," Sam suggested.

Everyone held their breath as the attention went to the little girl in Sam's lap.

Teal'c held out his hand and softened his voice.

"Do you wish to help me construct a sand castle…"

"Jennifer," Sam mouthed to the Jaffa.

"Jennifer Carter?" Teal'c finished.

If Jennifer Carter had been a Gou'ald her eyes would have flashed.

"My name not Jenniver. Me Jenny Carter," she insisted in a voice that probably would have been accompanied by the stamp of a foot had she been standing.

"I will endeavor to remember that Jenny Carter," Teal'c promised, as he once more extended his hand.

Jenny looked at her mom who nodded her head and smiled encouragingly, all while holding her breath. Tentatively, Jenny placed her hand in Teal'c's where it was engulfed by the man's larger hand. He gave it a small tug and Jenny slid from her mother's lap.

"Will she eat a hot dog?" Jack asked interrupting Sam as she watched her daughter 'help' Charlie show Teal'c how to build a sandcastle.

"If you can drag her away from the sandbox, sir," Sam responded.

"It's Jack," he responded, "When we're off duty, call me Jack."

"Okay, Jack."

"Hold on a second," Daniel interrupted, "Since when does Sam have a daughter?"

"She's three Daniel and I'll explain everything later," she promised.

"Promise?"

"Promise," Sam declared.

"Supper," Jack called.

Charlie quickly dropped his bucket and shovel and Teal'c followed suit, but Jenny seemed content to continue playing in the sandbox. Sam rose to go get her, but Jack placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Allow me," he said quietly.

"Hey Charlie," Jack said loudly.

"Yeah Dad?"

"Run inside and get the chocolate cake off the counter for me please," Jack requested.

With a flash, Jenny was out of the sandbox and onto the deck, looking for her mom. Sam put the girl on her knee and gave her a plate of food. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Jack sat down next to her, the chocolate cake sitting just a little to his left, just out of Jenny's reach.

Jenny studied the man, who for the most part ignored her, while she basically picked at her food. Every so often her glance would dart to the chocolate cake.

For once, Sam decided to let the girl be and let Jack handle the picky eater. After all, he had done pretty well so far.

Everyone but Jenny had cleaned their plates. Jack cut the cake and distributed a piece to everyone save Jenny.

Jenny noticed this and waited patiently for him to put apiece on her plate. When Jack didn't and instead sat down at the picnic table to eat his own large piece, Jenny let her feelings on the matter be known. She reached out and poked Jack in the arm until she gained his attention.

Before she knew what was happening, Jenny had been removed from her mother's lap and as now sitting between her mom and the strange man. She would have protested but now she was closer to the cake that she hadn't gotten a piece of!

She tried maneuvering her body to reach the cake, but found herself constrained by an arm.

"No," she screamed, "I want a piece of cake!"

"You can have the last piece of cake once you clean your plate," the strange man told her.

"No! I want cake," Jenny demanded.

"Finish your dinner," the voice suggested, "Or I'll eat that piece of cake."

The girl's eyes grew large as she looked back and forth between the piece of cake waiting for her and the half-eaten piece of cake on the man's plate. As if by magic, her own plate appeared in front of her and she dug in with gusto, keeping one eye on 'her' piece of cake at all times.

Every so often whenever Jack thought she wasn't looking, his fork would dart out like he was going to take a bit from 'her' cake only to detour back to his piece when her head would start to turn to look at him. Jack got so caught up in playing the 'game' that he totally missed that Jenny had finished her food and was eyeing his piece of cake.

Keeping a careful eye on Jack's reaction, she stuck her fork in his cake and took the last bite. Jack was so focused on the fact he finally hadn't gotten caught trying to eat 'her' cake that he totally missed Jenny's actions- until he went to eat the last bite of his piece of cake, which wasn't there anymore!

"Hey!" he exclaimed and started looking around for the culprit. Daniel, Teal'c, Sam, and Charlie managed to hide their amusement with looks of professed innocence, but Jenny broke out in giggles, her mouth still full of the stolen piece of cake.

"Why you little cake stealer," he growled as he reached oven and attacked the girl, tickling Jenny until she was gasping for breath.

When she could finally breathe again, she objected, "You stole my cake virst."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too times a thousand."

"Did not times a billion gazillion," Jack added.

"I win," Jenny declared with a triumphant smile. "A gazillion is not a real number, right Mommy?"

All eyes turned to Sam who smiled at her daughter, "Right."

Jack threw up his hands and admitted defeat, "All right, you win," he declared.

And then Jennifer Lynn Carter did something she had never done before. She climbed into Jack's lap and proceeded to eat her piece of cake. Even after she finished eating, she didn't move, which was another first for the young girl. It took encouragement from her mother and Charlie for her to leave her new seat and play on the swing set-tree house combination that was in another corner of the backyard.

The team cleared the dishes from the table and sat down again, watching the children play waiting for Sam to being her story.

oooooooooooooooooooooo


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Jenn is the result of a previous relationship that ended badly. As far as I know, Jenn's father didn't know she existed and now he'll never know," Sam stated.

"Is it not against the laws of your world to keep a father from his child?" Teal'c asked.

Eyes turned to Sam, but it was Jack who answered.

"Actually Teal'c, there are a lot of laws governing the behavior of a parent towards a child. Usually a judge decides what is in the best interest of the child and the parents have to abide by that," Jack explained.

"Like in Charlie's case, I…uh…didn't know Sarah was pregnant when I was deployed. A mission that was supposed to last a few months turned into almost a year when I became a POW. I had been in a hospital stateside for six weeks when my mail finally caught up with me. I had a letter from social services that my son, one I didn't know I had, was being placed in foster care. Sarah had up and disappeared right after having him. A little help from some friends to get me here, and it didn't take much to convince the judge to award me custody," Jack explained.

"But she left of her own account," Sam pointed out. "Jonas never would have. I had to wait until he was on a mission and then I escaped by getting transferred here. I mailed my engagement ring back to him and had my some help from dad getting a restraining order. I found out I was pregnant and refused to let all the pain he had caused me transfer to my child. Jenn is the best and only good thing that came out of that relationship."

Suddenly something clicked for Daniel. "Jonas is Captain Jonas Hanson isn't he?"

Sam's eyes found a sudden fascination with the floor. "Yes," she admitted softly.

The conversation didn't go any farther because Jenny returned to the deck covered by dirt and mud followed by a similarly looking Charlie.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Monday morning came and Jack found himself trying to figure out what he was going to say to his 2IC, when he saw her again.

What he didn't expect was to find her in her lab. "I thought Hammond told me you were taking a few days off to get your daughter settled," he blurted out.

Tired eyes starred back at him from above the computer screen. "I wish," she said tiredly, stretching her arms in the process. "I got a call shortly after midnight that there was something wrong with the gate and SG-2 was stuck off world. I've been working on the problem ever since. I think I've finally got it figured out," she declared proudly. "I'm just waiting for it to finish uploading."

"Oh."

"Was there something you wanted sir?" Sam asked.

Jack waved his hand dismissively, "Nah, just wanted to check-up on my scientists. Daniel is my next stop," he lied.

"Uh-hu," Sam wasn't convinced, but her computer beeped indicating the upload was done and Sam forced to go finish fixing the gate.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Sam's absence left Jack with a series of meetings and a pile of paperwork. Although many of his suggestions were merely procedural in how the teams did certain things. His biggest suggestion was the development of a training program for all SGC personnel.

"We can't continue to depend on on-the-job training and expect our people to keep coming back alive," Jack insisted.

"I agree son, what do you suggest?" Hammond asked.

"Find someone to run a training program for all current and incoming personnel, someone who can take our mission reports and what we say about what's going on out there and turn it into something that can save lives," Jack said bluntly.

"I'll see what I can do," was all Hammond would say.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

While Jack was sorting through paperwork, Sam was getting her father and daughter settled at her own house.

Things were going well except for the fact her father wouldn't believe she was working on a classified deep space radar telemetry project- that required her to travel and remain unavailable for days at a time.

She finally had enough and said, "Dad, I can't tell you and won't tell you. I never asked you what you were doing when I was growing up and I'm asking for the same thing from you."

Jacob Carter looked at his daughter and not for the first time, saw something that reminded him of his late wife.

"Okay," he simply said and left Sam to deal with her own daughter, who reminded him so much of Sam when she was growing up. When the door rang, Jacob went to answer it, knowing that Sam wouldn't leave Jennifer in the bath tub to answer the door. What he found was two men, one who he recognized as an old friend, the other one he didn't know.

"Jake," George Hammond greeted his old friend, holding out his hand for the man to shake.

"George," Jacob returned warmly, grabbing the man's hand before giving the man a backslapping, manly hug. "Come in," he invited, holding the door open. "Can I get you something to drink?" he asked.

"No thank you sir," Jack declined while George did the same with a shake of his head.

"What brings you to see an old retired General like me George?" Jacob asked curiously as they all took a seat. Jacob was trying desperately to size up the other man in the room. He looked like he could be deadly; his face was a mask that showed no emotion, making Jacob wonder what George, who was in his last assignment before retirement could be doing with a man like this.

"A job offer," George stated.

"Not interested," Jacob instinctively responded. This wasn't the first time someone had come to him with a job offer since he had retired, and every time he had turned the job down. "I retired with the intent of spending as much time as possible with my daughter and granddaughter. Besides, what kind of a position could you offer me, aren't you commanding a base inside a mountain?"

Jack looked surprised that this man knew that much, something which Jacob picked up on.

"I may be retired, but I still hear things," Jacob explained but was prevented from saying more by a blonde three year old who swept into the room.

"Gwampa," she said as she crawled into his lap and latched onto his neck.

Jack did a double take at the girl's appearance but refrained from saying anything, despite his face softening and the corners of his mouth turning up into a smile.

Jenny was the one who made the first move.

She never said a word as she smiled at the familiar man sitting across from her. His smile grew and Jennifer Carter made the move from her grandfather's lap to Jack's.

Anything that George might have been saying was totally ignored by either of the room's other occupants as they watched Jenny. She curled up in Jack's lap, letting him wrap his arms around her.

"How did you do that?" Jacob asked in disbelief.

"Chocolate cake," two voices said as one.

Jack craned his neck around to see Sam standing in the doorway, her clothes spotting some residual dampness from giving Jenny a bath. "Have a nice bath Carter?" Jack asked.

Sam gave him an evil glare and would have said something more but, she realized there was another high ranking officer in the room. "Sir," she said respectfully to General Hammond.

"Major," Hammond returned warmly, "I was just stopping by to make your father a job offer, but it seems that we're interrupting family time. We'll try a different time," he offered and started to rise.

"No stay," Sam insisted and looked at her daughter. "Jenn was just saying goodnight."

Jack knew that look well, he had one of his own that he often used on Charlie. He let go of the girl and gave her a small push off of his lap.

Jenny went willingly to her grandfather and gave him a hug and a kiss before returning to a surprised Jack and repeating the process, only this time she wouldn't let go of his neck.

Jack stood up and walked over to Sam, trying to gently pry Jenny's arms off from around his neck and failing miserably.

Sam shook her head in disbelief before leading the way to her daughter's bedroom. Only after she pulled back the covers, did Jenny loosen her hold on Jack, finally permitting him to carefully lower her into bed.

"Luv you," Jenny whispered sleepily.

Jack felt his heart tug as he kissed the girl on the forehead, an action which Sam repeated as she whispered, "Love you more."

Jack led the way back to the living room and noticed that the two Generals had moved, leaving the only possible place for Sam and Jack to sit was side-by-side on the couch.

Jacob looked at the younger man with a new eye. While the man looked the part of the career soldier, he had won the heart of the toughest critic Jacob Carter had ever met- his granddaughter.

"So do you think that if I brought over a piece of chocolate cake, I'd get that kind of treatment Jake?" Hammond joked.

Jack flushed, but Sam responded first.

"He also has a sandbox and a swing set," Sam added, "Oh and a son who likes to play in those things just as much as Jenn."

Knowing if he didn't stop the discussion now, he would never get to the real reason he had come with Hammond, "So General, about that job," Jack directed the conversation.

"It's a unique opportunity Jake. Kind of a strategic military advisor along with being the head of training. You'd work mostly with Colonel O'Neill," Hammond explained indicating Jack, "and his team along with the other team leaders to devise training scenarios and tactics that are well suited for the unique challenges that my people face."

Jacob turned to look at his daughter, "And I'm guessing that you're involved in this somehow?"

"She's my 2IC, a key member of my team," Jack explained, "Along with Doctor Daniel Jackson, an archeologist, and Murray Teal'c a…"

"Combat and weapons specialist," Sam suggested.

"Yeah, I suppose that's an appropriate title," Jack agreed with her, smiling slightly at the suggestion.

"What does the Air Force need with a couple of doctors, a weapons specialist, and a battle hardened Colonel?" Jacob asked.

"That's classified," Jack answered.

"But," Hammond offered, "If you sign these papers and agree to take the job, we'll let you in on it."

Jacob looked at the stern expression on everyone's faces and held out his hand for the folder and a pen. A half an hour later, he looked in amazement at his daughter.

"You really visit other planets?"

Sam shrugged, "It's all part of the job."

Now Jacob looked at George. "And you want me to head up the training program to come up with different tactics to help fight these aliens," he stated obviously in awe of this new information.

"Actually, it will probably be more about teaching the tactics that have already been proven successful," George explained.

"I don't want people to die out there because they do the same thing wrong that someone else already died doing," Jack declared. "Yes we'll make mistakes-we've already made a few, but I refuse to let people die needlessly when it can be prevented."

Jacob nodded in agreement. "Can I think about it?" he asked.

Hammond nodded. "Of course. I don't need to remind you not to discuss this with anyone who doesn't have security clearance right?"

"I'll let you know by Friday," Jacob promised.

"In the meantime, care to tell me how you got so close to my granddaughter with just a piece of chocolate cake?" Jacob requested of Jack.

"What my good looks and charming personality aren't good enough?" Jack asked sarcastically.

Sam snorted.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I've always been good with kids. I have a son Charlie who's eight and was an extremely picky eater when he was three. Does she have a hard time with strangers like Charlie did?" Jack questioned.

"Up until she met you and Teal'c I could count on two fingers the number of adults that she would let get close to her without putting her into a panic- and we're both sitting in this room," Sam commented. "Even going to the doctor's office is a nightmare."

"Huh."

Jack turned to General Hammond and Jacob Carter. "It's the dark chocolate cake with chocolate butter cream frosting from the bakery on 5th street, sirs. If that doesn't work, then I don't know what to tell you."

Jacob couldn't help himself, he laughed. "I think the two of us will get along just fine son."

"Glad to hear it…Dad."

oooooooooooooooooooooo


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Sam returned to work the following day, leaving her daughter once more with her father. She noticed that he had been surprisingly tight lipped about his plans for the day.

It didn't take long for Jack to notice that his 2IC had returned to work. She hand delivered several reports to him in Daniel's lab.

Jack looked at the folders and stack of papers in disbelief. "I thought you were on vacation," he stated.

Sam shrugged her shoulders.

"You did more paperwork on vacation than I did in the three days you were gone!" Jack objected.

"Jack, I think Teal'c actually _does_ more paperwork than you," Daniel pointed out.

Jack took a second to think about it and then nodded in agreement, "True."

"So did you drop 'Jenniver' off at day care this morning?" Daniel asked.

"Uh…no. Jenn doesn't do well with adults she doesn't know. Usually throws a fit if anyone even looks at her the wrong way and her mom or grandpa isn't around to reassure her. Up until Sunday, I've never seen her willingly climb into anyone's lap and then stay there, no matter what the bribe. Then to have her do it again last night hopefully means she's growing out of that stage where she's scared of every adult she meets," Sam claimed, an obvious show of relief on her face.

"She'll grow out of it," Jack assured her confidently. "Charlie went through this phase where he wouldn't go anywhere without this stuffed bear. I got it for him shortly after I got custody and made sure that it went with him whenever I had to leave him with someone else while I would go on a mission. So I go to stow my stuff half-way across the country and pull an extra uniform shirt out of my travel bag when I realize I've got his bear. As soon as I can I call him at the babysitter's house to tell him that Mr. Bear is safe with me. Charlie tells me 'I know daddy. I put him in your bag so that he could protect you.' When I asked him why, he told me, 'I've got Mrs. Dixon to protect me but you don't have anyone. I didn't want you to get scared at night without me there Daddy.' Charlie wasn't worried about himself, but about me. Kids don't think like us Carter, so I doubt that what you think Jenn's scared of, is actually what she is scared of."

"Then what is she scared of?" Sam asked.

"I dunno, you could always ask her," Jack suggested. Then Jack asked a question that had been bothering him ever since the night before. "How come you never told us that your Dad was general?"

Sam looked at him. "If I had told you my dad was a General, a retired Major General at that, would you have thought different of me?" Sam questioned.

Silence was the only response that Sam got.

"Thought so," she declared and quickly left the room.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Later that day, Teal'c made his way to Sam's lab.

"Major Carter," he began, "I know little of your world but I have learned much of your ways. Females are thought to be weaker than their male counterparts, but you prove this false everyday. There is no man on your world that I would wish to take your place at O'Neill's side. You are a most capable warrior."

The large Jaffa bowed his head and left a speechless Major in his wake.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Sam was quiet the rest of the day, though she willingly accepted Daniel's heartfelt apology. While not quite as eloquent or short as Teal'c's, the idea was the same.

Noticeably absent was an apology of any kind from the Colonel. Actually, Sam couldn't find him at all- it was like he had disappeared after their conversation.

She wasn't sure what bothered her the most, that he didn't apologize or that he was holding her to a different standard than to what he held himself. Up until the conversation in the locker room a week ago, she hadn't known anything about her commanding officer's personal life.

And now it seemed like he had expected her to just casually drop in a conversation that she was the daughter of a General. Sam had too many experience in the Air Force where someone had formed their opinion of her based solely on that fact. She wasn't going to go out of her way to share that kind of information if she could get away with it.

But still, she wondered where her commanding officer had gone.

When Sam made it home that night, she found him standing in her kitchen. There were boxes of pizza, chips, and bottles of pop on the table, just waiting to be eaten.

"Charlie is out back with your dad and Jenn," he explained. "I figured that I owed you an apology- a rather large one at that. I…uh…didn't know you were the daughter of a General until last night. I understand why you didn't say anything, especially after reading your file today. You don't have to tell me, but I'm guessing that you've had your share of CO's that have made your life difficult either because you're a woman or because you're the daughter of a General, or both."

Silence and a steely glare was Sam's only response.

"Thought so. Anyways, I want you to know that neither of those things matter to me. I've never had a woman, an alien, or a civilian on my team before so I'm bound to screw up. As my 2IC, I'm trusting you to call me on it, just like Kawalsky or Ferretti have in the past. I trust you just as much as I did them and I want you to know you have nothing left to prove to me."

Sam blinked a couple of times and then said, "Yes sir."

"Jack," he corrected gently, "Call me Jack when we're off duty," he reminded her.

"Let's eat then Jack. Would you like to stay for pizza?" she invited with a small smile.

"Pizza sounds good," Jack agreed with a matching smile.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Later Jacob sat with Jack, watching the television.

"I'm going to take the job, provided Sammie doesn't mind," Jacob said.

"Sammie?"

"Repeat it and you're dead," Sam declared as she entered the room and sat down.

"She means it," Jacob claimed.

"Wouldn't dream of it Major," Jack promised.

"Good." Sam turned and looked at her father. "I think you should take the job. Before long Jenn will be in school and you'll be bored sitting at home all by yourself."

"I always hoped there would be another grandchild for me to watch over by that time," Jacob claimed.

Sam flushed. "When you carry the child for nine months then you can have another grandchild," Sam declared.

Now it was Jacob's turn to smile. "Your mom said the same thing and I talked her into having you."

Jack cleared his throat, not wanting to hear anymore of this conversation. "What are you going to do with Jenn while you're both at work?" he asked.

"What do you do with Charlie?" Sam asked with interest.

"Right now he's at school most of the time, then if I'm not home to get him, he goes to a babysitter's house, the same one he's went to since he was a baby," Jack said. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind having Jenn too. There's a whole bunch of kids there everyday. Most all of them have a parent in the military. I could introduce you or give her number," Jack offered.

"Say yes Mommy," a voice begged from the doorway. "I wanna go with Chawlie."

"Charlie won't be there all day sweetie," Sam explained, "But there will be other kids for you to play with. Would that be okay?"

"Yeah!" Jennifer exclaimed in excitement, "I wanna play."

Sam looked at Jacob who shrugged. "I guess I'll need that number," Sam said to Jack.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

At first, Sam had worried about leaving Jenn at the babysitter's house, even after Jack and Tammy Dixon had repeatedly reassured her. In the end, Sam didn't have much to worry about.

Jacob was the one who dropped Jenny off at the Dixon's house and after the first few days, there was nothing but excitement on the girl's part when they pulled up to the house. She couldn't move fast enough to join the other children in their games.

When it came time for her to leave, Jenny rarely left unless she secured a promise from whoever picked her up that she could return again soon.

Meanwhile, Jacob was enjoying his new position as the strategic military training advisor to the SGC. The job was light on the paperwork, but required him to do quite a bit of reading and listening as he thoroughly digested a report of each and every mission. He often spent time in Sam's lab doing the reading because someone there could often explain whatever detail he needed to know.

Teal'c and Jack would usually drop by with coffee and offer their own opinions. Their discussion of tactics took up many afternoons. The most surprising contributor was not Sam- who often had her own suggestions to add- but Daniel, whose brain held a seemingly endless base of knowledge when it came to ancient military tactics and history.

The rest of Jacob's time was spent instructing as he attempted to shove as much information as possible into the minds of the team leaders.

In his mind, he had the best job in the whole mountain- or at least he would until the day came when he would have to start training cocky new recruits. Veteran officers were fine; they understood combat and the reality that they were not invincible. The freshly minted 2nd Lieutenants that he would have to deal with wouldn't have that experience- and would run a larger risk of dying because of it.

Jacob also noticed something else. Through the dangers they faced, SG-1 was becoming even closer unit than before. At least once a week, they gathered to do something together, usually an activity to introduce Teal'c to Earth's culture. They typically invited Jacob and always included Charlie and Jenny.

Whenever he went with them, Jacob was surprised and yet thrilled to see the amount of patience and understanding that each member of the group gave Jenny. At three years old, she too was getting an introduction to many of the same activities as Teal'c.

The group went to the movies, bowling, and golfing before a run of missions broke the series of weekly trips. Sure there had been other missions during the other weeks, mostly to uninhabited planets, but those hadn't caused any uproar as far as Jacob knew.

Until they met the Nox on a mission and only for that reason did all of them come back alive. He could tell that that the near death experience weighed heavily on his daughter.

Sam had grown up without a mother and she did not want her daughter to experience that. Jacob knew that he had been an absent father during most of her teenage years, but there was no 'other' parent for Jenny, should something happen to Sam on a mission.

Jacob believed that the only reason Sam stuck by her teammates was her faith in them, most specifically in Jack O'Neill, who faced the same problem. If he didn't come back, he would leave a son behind who would officially be an orphan.

Though right after the mission with the Nox, Jack was quick to fix that possible problem. After a short conversation with Charlie and a lawyer, Jack showed up one night at the Carter house.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

Sam looked at him curiously as though she realized something, no someone was missing. "Where's Charlie?" she asked.

"Sleepover at a friend's house. Where's Jenn?"

"In bed thankfully, or you'd never hear the end of it, coming over and not bringing Charlie," Sam explained as she followed him to the living room.

Jacob put down the newspaper he had been reading as Jack entered. After a few minutes of small talk, an uncomfortable silence filled the room.

"I need a favor," Jack finally managed to blurt out. "Actually it's probably bigger than a favor…"

"What is it son?" Jacob asked impatiently.

Jack took a deep breath before continuing. "After this last mission, I realized that I needed to update my will. Originally, if something happened to me Kawalsky had agreed to become Charlie's guardian. With Kawalsky's death and this last mission, I realized that if something had happened to me, I had left no instructions on what would happen Charlie," Jack rambled.

"What do you need son?" Jacob asked, trying desperately to get Jack to spit out why he was there.

"I don't have any family," Jack admitted, "And Charlie's mother is not an option. If something were to happen to me, I'm hoping that the two of you would agree to be his guardians."

Sam wasn't quite sure what to say. She had never had a CO like Jack O'Neill. They got along as military officers, and even more they were friends off base- something she had never experienced with a CO before. But he had just asked her to be willing to take care of his son if something ever happened to him. She couldn't imagine trying to handle an eight year old boy on top of her three year old daughter. Sure, Jenn and Charlie got along really well; they were like the sibling the other didn't have. Still, how could she say no to the man's plea? How could she say no to Charlie?

Jacob Carter had been a career military officer that had faced the exact same situation as the man in front of him. That's why not long after his wife's death he had turned himself into a man who worked mostly behind a desk. He had traveled quite a bit, but no place where he was in danger of being killed.

Jacob had hated it though. He was a man of action, not of paperwork. But he had done it for his children. Not that it had done him any good. Mark had left home as soon as he turned eighteen and graduated from high school. Sam had done the same five years later, though he knew that she had tried to please him by following in his footsteps and attending the Air Force Academy. It had taken a call from Mark, years after he left home, telling him that he was a grandfather, for them to mend some fences. Things still weren't good between the two of them, but they were better.

And his relationship with Sam had taken even longer to really mend, and he really owed it all to a little blonde girl that just looked just like her mother. Sam had shown up unannounced one day at his house in D.C. He hadn't even known that she was working at the Pentagon at that point or that she had been engaged until he asked her about the bruises that were evident on her face. He had helped her escape from Jonas Hanson by getting her transferred to Colorado Springs.

Two months later, he had hopped on a plane following a desperate midnight phone call to comfort her when Sam found out she was pregnant. Once she decided to keep the baby, he didn't give her any option. Jacob told her that he was retiring and expected her to return to work, leaving her baby with him. Jennifer Lynn Carter had come into the world and with one look, had healed any wounds that had ever existed between father and daughter.

When Sam had been transferred back to the Pentagon, not long after Jonas had left the D.C. area, Jacob had followed, vowing that he would do better by his grandchildren than he had by his own children. A year later, Sam had been recalled to the mountain, and Jacob had not protested the move, figuring that he was being repaid in some great cosmic scheme for all the times he had moved his family throughout his career.

Now he was glad that he had.

He watched at his daughter found friends and Jenny emerged from her own shell as she first connected with Jack and Charlie O'Neill. Jacob didn't know what his daughter thought of Jack's request, but there was no doubt in Jacob's mind what he was going to say.

"If you're sure that's what you want and it's what Charlie wants, I'll sign whatever you need me to Jack," Jacob claimed.

Jack's gaze turned to Sam now. "Carter?"

Sam shook her head in disbelief. "Why me? No offense sir but it's not like you've known me that long to trust me with Charlie."

"I trust you to watch my six any day of the week. Charlie thinks you're the best thing since sliced bread. That's enough for me," Jack stated.

Sam sighed upon hearing the determination in Jack's voice. There was no way that he was going to let her out of this. "Okay," she relented, "I'll sign the papers. Just…don't do anything stupid," she requested, "I don't want another child any time soon."

"Scout's honor," Jack promised as he raised his hand.

"You weren't ever a boy scout were you?" Jacob asked curiously.

"Nope," Jack admitted with a smirk, directed solely at his 2IC.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

It turned out that Jack's decision was a smart one, as the next mission SG-1 undertook was not an easy one. Jack ended up eating some native food that caused him age rapidly. Jacob observed Sam's reaction and noted that she was more upset than she should be. It took some serious digging on Jacob's part to find out why and when he did, he let Colonel Jack O'Neill have it the first chance he got.

"You are an idiot Jack O'Neill! Not even two days after you promise my daughter that you won't do anything stupid- you almost leave her with another child! What were you thinking? _Don't _answer that," Jacob cautioned, "Because you obviously weren't."

Jacob paused in his rant and cast the man a glare. He sighed and began again. "You know, when I first found out what Sam did, really did inside that mountain, I worried that I would be left to raise Jenny. She's asked me several times if I thought she should leave SG-1 and take a full time position in the labs."

"She has?" Jack interrupted.

"_Several_ times," Jacob repeated himself, "And every time I've reassured her that she's where she needs to be because I _thought_ she had a veteran CO that wouldn't go and do anything stupid."

Jacob stopped there, having gotten his point across.

Jack hung his head. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," Jacob said, leaving Jack with his thoughts.

oooooooooooooooooooooo


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

When Sam walked through the door of her house for the first time in a week, she was met by two very happy kids. Jenn demanded attention from her mother the entire evening, not wanting Sam out of arm's reach. After Sam finally put her to sleep after reading several stories, she spent time reassuring Charlie.

"Your dad is fine," she reassured him.

"Promise?"

"Promise. How about we call him," Sam suggested, knowing that her CO would probably be awake, and even if he wasn't, a call from his son was a good enough reason for him to wake up.

"Can we?" Charlie asked eagerly, his eyes lighting up.

Sam smiled and picked up the phone, dialing the number from the base. After a couple security checks, she was finally transferred to the infirmary, where one of the nurses was able to get a phone to Jack.

"O'Neill," an annoyed voice said.

"Dad?" Charlie whispered a huge grin lighting up his face as he talked to his dad for the first time in a week.

Sam tuned out from there letting the boy tell his dad about everything he had missed over the last week, which turned out to be quite a bit. After an hour, Sam had to pry the phone out of Charlie's hands and send him off to bed.

She did bother to say anything to the Colonel when she took the phone from Charlie's hand, choosing to just hang up on the man. She would probably regret it later, but right now, she was still too angry to care.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

That night, two officers lay awake in beds miles apart from each other.

Sam was conflicted about what she should do, stay on the team or take the position in the labs. Since that meeting in the briefing room, there had been a spark between the Major and her CO. Not enough for her to do anything drastic, other than try to jump him when she was infected with the touched virus, but still she had trusted him. He was the first guy she had really and truly trusted since Jonas and he had taken her trust and thrown it out the window.

A small part of her brain was saying that he had only been trying to make nice with the natives by eating the cake but her heart was saying that he had betrayed her, just like Jonas.

'Whoa,' Sam stopped herself. 'When did I start comparing the Colonel to Jonas?' Sam searched her memory and couldn't come up with a specific point, just that it had happened. Sometime after meeting Charlie and seeing how he dealt with Jenn, Sam realized that she was more than just attracted to the man in a 'I respect you because you're my CO' kinda way. That realization sealed the deal. There was no way she could stay on the team- it was too dangerous, for the two of them and for their children.

Deep within Cheyenne Mountain, Jack O'Neill was laying awake thinking about Jacob's earlier accusation. He had violated one of his own rules on that mission; don't eat anything without letting Daniel ask the necessary questions. And in doing so, had put himself and his entire team in danger.

He deserved the anger that all of them, and specifically Sam, were directing at him. If something had happened to him, she would have become responsible for Charlie, only a short time after he had promised not to do anything stupid. Jack groaned internally, his actions in this situation definitely counted as stupid.

Now he would have to do something to regain the trust of his teammates.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

The first chance he got, Jack O'Neill made his way to Sam's lab.

He had no qualms about interrupting her attempt at working or at begging her not to leave him.

'The team,' he quickly corrects himself mentally.

"I know I screwed up. And I know I haven't given you a really good reason to, but plase stay," Jack said in a voice that was not quite begging, yet not quite commanding. "Give me another shot," he begged finally.

Sam opened her mouth to say something, only to realize that her CO wasn't going to let her go very easy.

"Fine," she relented, rolling her eyes in an exaggerated manner, "I won't talk to Hammond right now, but I'm not giving any permanent promises."

"I can deal with that," Jack admitted.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

After several harrowing missions, including one in which they rescued Earnest Littlefield, who had spent the last 50 years alone. What they found there revealed the possibility of four different great races in the galaxy; though the collapse of the castle prevented Daniel from doing all of the research he wanted. Despite repeated attempts to redial the gate, there had been no success.

Then the team went on a mission that exposed one of Teal'c's deepest secrets. He had left his son and wife on Chulak. With that knowledge, things dropped into place for the two parents of the team. Both Sam and Jack had noticed how gentle and patient the giant of a Jaffa always was with their children, and suddenly it all made sense. The man knew how to deal with children because he had a son of his own. There was no question in anyone's mind that they would all go after the boy and his mother.

Loosing Daniel, even for a short time, almost tore the team apart. After he came back, "A miraculous return from the dead," as Doctor Fraiser had called it, Jack once more needed to apologize to his 2IC. He had been withdrawn and quiet, something he hadn't been since before his first trip through the stargate, when he had been convinced he was going to lose Charlie.

This time he had pushed everyone away, permitting himself to dwell in his grief all by his lonesome. Charlie had been obviously upset at the loss of a man that he considered an uncle, and without Jack to comfort him, Sam and Jacob had kept the boy at their house for several nights. Jack acknowledged that Jenn was still too young to truly understand what was going on, but she was smart enough to know something was wrong.

When Jack went to collect Charlie from the Carter household the day after Daniel's return, he was met by Sam at the door.

"I'm sorry," he said. "You and Charlie were hurting just as much as me and I ignored that fact."

Sam still glared at the man.

"I don't expect you to forgive me right away," Jack assured her.

"Good, 'cause I won't be able to do that right away," Sam stated, opening the door so Jack could come in.

Charlie's greeting towards his father was just as enthusiastic as Sam's was not. Jack was quick to get him out the door, before Jacob showed up and gave him another lecture.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Sam didn't ask for a transfer this time because she didn't want Daniel to think that it was his fault. Everyone could tell that the relationship between the two military officers of SG-1 was strained, to say the least.

The attempt by Hathor to take over the SGC was the only thing that saved that relationship, Hammond figured. The commendation that got added to her file would be enough to secure her next promotion, the General thought, though it would probably be another year or two coming.

The thing that finally healed the relationship between the two officers though, came in the form of a little girl named Cassie. After she had been left alone on a world full of dead bodies, Sam had been the first one to connect with the child. Hammond knew that each of the officers had wanted to welcome the child into their homes and their families, but neither felt confident that they could provide an appropriate amount of time that a second child would require.

So after much talking and convincing, Janet agreed to adopt the girl. Even Jacob pitched in, offering to pick the girl up from Mrs. Dixon's on the same days that he picked up Charlie and Jenn.

The day in the park to celebrate Cassie's adoption, also served as a chance for Charlie to convince his dad to coach his baseball team.

"I don't know if I can this year Charlie, you know with work and everything. I might miss games and practices and stuff and that wouldn't be fair to the team," Jack explained.

"Please Dad," Charlie begged.

"What is this baseball?" Teal'c asked and the discussion of coaching was avoided for a short time.

Before he left that afternoon, Jack pulled Jacob aside and thanked him once more for keeping Charlie overnight while he had been off-world.

"It was nothing," Jacob claimed. "He's a good kid and anytime you want him to stay with while you're 'out of town', he's more than welcome."

"I'll talk it over with Carter and Charlie, just to be sure, but I think you can plan on having one more whenever we're 'out of town'."

"Good."

Jacob hesitated before continuing. "I might be overstepping my bounds here, but I get the feeling that Charlie's mom isn't in the picture anymore than Jenny's father."

"She isn't now, nor will she ever be," Jack vowed.

"Okay then, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't stepping on anyone's toes," Jacob explained.

"You're not," Jack assured him.

"Good, now get that son of yours home, he misses you when you're gone," Jacob reminded him.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

The next several days were spent catching up on the many things that seemed to accumulate when they were off-world.

While all of these were important, one weighed heavily on Jack's mind- was he going to be able to make time to coach Charlie's baseball team or was he going to have to disappoint his son?

Jack was sharing his worry with Sam one afternoon in her lab when Sam suggested a solution.

"Why don't you ask my dad to coach with you- like a co-head coach or something? He'd get a kick out of it," Sam suggested. "He loved baseball when I was a kid and would have coached my team if he had been around enough."

"I don't know Carter, that's a lot to ask of a guy for a favor. It'd be different if Jenn was playing too but Charlie's not his grandson or anything," Jack objected.

Jacob ended the discussion there by making his presence in the doorway known. "Charlie might not be my grandson by birth, but I'd be proud to have him call me granddad. Jenny is the only grandchild I actually see on a regular basis and getting the chance to spoil another one or two, if you count Cassie, would be fine by me, provided you're okay with it of course."

"You're serious right?" Jack asked in disbelief.

"Sure am, co-head coach," Jacob assured him with a smile.

Once more, Sam was left wondering if she was making the right decision by remaining on SG-1. It was evident that her father was raising her daughter and it would only take one misstep for her to miss out on everything. The question was, would leaving SG-1 be worth it?

And that was what kept Sam from asking for a transfer, because there was no way Jack O'Neill could be interested in her as anything more than a friend and no one else was even on her radar.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Jack's news that he and Jacob would be coaching Charlie's team brought excitement from Charlie and disappointment from Jenn.

"I wanna play too!" Jennifer declared with a stomp of her foot.

"Jennifer Lynn Carter," Sam said, in a voice that only parents seemed to have.

"Hold up little missy," Jack said, making his own attempt at pacifying both mother and daughter, "I already have a spot for Jenn on my…sorry our team," Jack quickly corrected at Jacob's cough. "Our team needs a bat girl and I was wondering if Jenn would be interested."

"Mommy what's a bat girl?" Jennifer asked, looking to her mother for guidance.

"Well kiddo it's…" Sam trailed off because she wasn't sure how to make the job sound appealing to a three, soon to be four year old.

"You're kinda like the team mascot. You get to hang out with the team, go to practices and games, you just don't get to play," Jack explained.

That explanation must have sounded good to Jenn because her response was one word, "Cool!"

"Thank you," Sam mouthed to Jack and he simply nodded in return.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

The first baseball practice of the season was strategically scheduled between missions so that Jack could be there.

"Hey guys," Jack greeted the players of his 8 and under team. "Are you ready for some fun this year?" he asked.

He was greeted by loud screams of 'yes' from all the boys.

"Okay well why don't you guys partner up and warm up with Coach Jacob while I talk to your parents," he instructed.

The boys quickly ran off to follow instructions.

"My name is Jack O'Neill and the guy that just herded all your kids onto the field is Jacob Carter. Due to the travel requirements of my job, Jacob and I are going to be co-head coaches of the team this year…" Jack began and continued on from there as he passed out the required material to the parents, mostly moms, though there were a couple dads present. Once done there, he went out to join Jacob in running practice.

By the end of practice, if Jack was going to judge his team's chances of a winning season by their enthusiasm, his team would have a perfect record. Based on one practice though, he couldn't quite tell if they were talented enough, but it seemed like he had a good group of kids regardless.

Even Jenn had a good time, especially when Jack pitched her batting practice once the rest of the kids were packing up their equipment to go home. "Great hit," he told her after she hit a grounder right between second and third.

While Jenn ran the bases, chased by Charlie, Jack and Jacob cleaned up the dugout. One of the moms approached Jack.

"Is she your daughter?" the woman asked.

Jack smiled and glanced quickly at the girl who had been carefully tackled to the ground by Charlie and was in the process of being tickled to death.

"No she's Jacob's granddaughter and the daughter of a co-worker. The boy, Charlie, is my son," Jack explained.

"Oh, Andrew is my son. My name is Denise Cooper," she said holding out her hand and pointing towards a boy sitting in a car.

Jack was saved from commenting by Jacob who injected, "Why don't you get the kids and we'll head home? Sam is probably waiting on us."

Jack ushered Charlie towards the truck while throwing Jenn over his shoulder.

Jacob shook his head. The man was totally oblivious to his effect on women. Even on Jacob's own daughter.

oooooooooooooooooooooo


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Finding Cassie alive and all of SG-9 dead had gotten Sam thinking again. Then there was Jenn's desire to be involved in sports. She watched Jack struggle with making time for his own son while trying to keep his commitment to his country, and her respect for the man grew even more.

He outshined Jonas in every way that Sam could see, though he wasn't without his faults. Abandoning Charlie when Daniel had died had been one of those times, but for the most part, Sam could find very few faults in the man's character.

That's why what she was about to do was so hard. The idea of dying and leaving Jenn without a mother weighted more heavily on her with each mission. Not all of them were bad or dangerous, but when they were, they more than made up for the ones that weren't.

SG-1 seemed to escape each time by the skin of their teeth, and they grew closer each time it happened. The team was part of her family.

And that was why leaving her team was going to be so hard.

It would feel like she was abandoning her family.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

On a walk through the hallways of the SGC, something dawned on Jack. He loved his new job. Sure it was weird and the unexpected happened- a lot. But his travel time to and from missions (and therefore his time away from home) had been cut significantly by the use of the Stargate, from sometimes days to a few seconds.

And he loved his team.

They were closer than any family Jack or Charlie had ever had. The time they thought that they had lost Daniel had been one of the worst things he had ever experienced. But in the end, Jack felt that his team had emerged stronger and closer because of it.

He was even convinced that Sam had finally decided to remain on SG-1 permanently, forgoing a transfer to another team.

That's why what happened a few days later surprised him.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

While Jack was sitting in his office, Sam was on her way to see the General.

She waited for him to acknowledge her before blurting out why she was there.

"I thought about that position you told me about a while back sir, and I want to put my name in for the head of the Science Department."

"What?" General Hammond asked incredulously. "You do realize that that position would require you to transfer off of SG-1, correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Why would you want to leave SG-1 Major?"

"Personal reasons, sir," Sam said vaguely, giving the General the opportunity to assume the most obvious reason.

The General did exactly that, nodding his head. "You realize that the position would still require field work on occasion?"

"It would be less dangerous work though General," Sam was quick to point out.

Hammond nodded his head. "I'll consider your name along with the others," he promised. "But you do realize that there may be mission where your expertise will be needed- and you will have to go out in the field, regardless of the threat assessment."

"Yes sir," Sam accepted.

"You know your teammates aren't going to like this," Hammond reminded her.

Sam's face became downcast, "I know," she said quietly. "But I need to do what's best for me and Jenn. Will you let me know before telling them anything sir?" she requested.

"I'll do my best," he promised. "Will there be anything else Major?"

When there wasn't, Sam escaped to her lab, leaving General Hammond wondering what he was going to do with Major Samantha Carter and how this decision might effect SG-1.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

It didn't take long for Hammond to make his decision. A quick call to the President and the Joint Chiefs and he had approval to remove Major Carter from SG-1 and make her the head of the Science Department, along with making her the CO of SG-7, the newly designated science team.

After the Tollan 'escaped', Hammond had all of SG-1 in the briefing room for a final debriefing before they would all get some well deserved downtime. Just as they were approaching the end of the two hour long mission report and base security assessment, when Hammond would usually dismiss them, Hammond made the announcement.

"One last thing before I dismiss you," Hammond said, watching as Jack's hands returned to fiddling with his pen, just as they had been the entire time Doctor Jackson had been speaking. "Major Carter is being transferred-"

"No!"

"General-"

"With a wave of his hand, Hammond silenced them. "Major Carter is being transferred to become the CO of SG-7 and the head of the new Science Department. You have a week downtime to find a replacement for the Major on your team, Colonel," Hammond explained. "Dismissed," he said as he returned to his office.

Daniel immediately went into a tirade.

"It was my decision," Sam said, interrupting the vehement words of Daniel.

"What?" Jack and Daniel both asked as they turned their focus to Sam.

"It was my decision," Sam repeated.

"Why?" Daniel asked as he sunk into his chair.

Sam hesitated.

"She doesn't have to tell us Daniel," Jack told him.

"Why Sam?" Daniel asked again.

"I don't want to leave Jenn without any parents," Sam stated, using the excuse everyone was willing to accept.

"This is an admirable reason Major Carter," Teal'c declared.

Daniel nodded his head in understanding, though one could see he was still unhappy with the decision while Jack refused to meet her eyes.

"I'm not leaving the SGC guys," Sam said, trying to lighten the mood.

"But you're leaving the team," Daniel complained.

"Daniel, it's a good career move," Jack bluntly put it.

"It's a safer career move," Sam objected.

"Think what you want Carter, but you're abandoning your team," Jack said.

The only thing that stopped the discussion from turning into a full blown argument was the sound of the klaxons announcing an off world activation.

SG-1 plus Sam rushed to the control room.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

A week later, Daniel was still in disbelief.

"I can't believe Sam's leaving us," Daniel said for what seemed like the 20th time since they had arrived on the planet.

Jack had long trained his mind to filter out the comments Daniel was making, but what Daniel had to say next caught his attention.

"Why haven't you guys tried talking her out of it?" Daniel asked.

"Major Carter is composed of superior elements, any attempt to diverge her from her current path would be most unwise," Teal'c claimed.

Jack squinted at the large Jaffa. "You mean she's made of strong stuff," Jack finally translated.

"That is what I said O'Neill, is it not?" Teal'c asked.

Jack shook his head. "I suppose so."

"So Teal'c doesn't have a problem with Sam's decision," Daniel summarized before turning his attention to Jack once more. "And we all know Jack won't say anything," Daniel mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Jack asked confused.

"C'mon on Jack. Everyone knows there is this 'thing' between you and Sam. Now that you're not her CO…" Daniel trailed off seeing Jack surprised expression.

"Everyone thinks that?" Jack asked in disbelief.

Daniel shrugged. "What did you expect? The first briefing and then the touched virus incident? People are bound to talk Jack."

"Let them talk. There's no truth to those rumors," Jack said confidently, a little too confidently through.

"Whatever you say Jack," Daniel said with a smile, already planning to change his bet in the pool to a date a little sooner when he got back, you know, just in case.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

The next mission SG-1 went on required a scientist. Since they hadn't found a replacement for Sam yet, Jack was able to talk Hammond into sending Carter with them. What he couldn't predict is that the two of them ended up stranded in what they thought was an ice planet.

Despite the Colonel's orders for Sam to try and make it on the surface, Sam ended up returning to the cavern and snuggling with the Colonel, all for the reason of sharing body heat.

"Sam?" he asked in a pitiful voice, one that showed just how out of it he really was.

"I'm here Jack," was her response. Her last thought as she joined Jack in unconsciousness was if that if she was going to die, there was no better way to do it then in the arms of Jack O'Neill.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Waking up at all, much less in an infirmary came as quite a surprise to Jack. Waking up to find Daniel, Teal'c, and General Hammond all in his room was even more of one.

"Guess I'm not in heaven," Jack tried to joke, only it came out with a rasp. He realized how dry his mouth actually was.

"You're awake," Daniel said with a certain tone of glee in his voice as he helped Jack get a drink.

"Yeah, guess so," Jack said as he surveyed the room, realizing that he now had a cast on his leg. "Where's Carter?" he asked, suddenly realizing that someone was missing.

"Right here sir," a voice said from his far left. Jack sat up a little and could see Sam sitting in her own bed.

Any further conversation was interrupted by an overly cheerful doctor.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

It took them almost two weeks to get back to the SGC and get released from the base infirmary. Neither of the two officers has seen their children in two weeks, and despite the daily phone calls, both wanted to go home more than anything else.

So after Doctor Janet Fraiser gave them a seemingly endless list of dos and do nots, a pile of prescriptions and pills, and a final warning against drinking alcohol before she released them.

Daniel carefully drove them home in Sam's car, mostly because Jack's truck would have been too hard for him to swing himself up into.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Meanwhile, Jacob was picking up Charlie and Jenny from Tammy Dixon's house. Cassie would have been there too but she was spending the night at a friend's house for a sleepover. Despite being slightly behind in her studies because she couldn't read or write English, she was actually doing well in school, and had made quite a few friends.

After herding the two downcast kids into his car, Jacob carefully hid the cake he had picked up from the bakery earlier. Tonight was going to be a celebration and reunion put together, considering Jenn's birthday had officially been two days after the start of SG-1's last mission. Though there had been a party the weekend before the mission, Jacob knew that Sam would want to celebrate again, because it was something he had done with both of his kids when they were little.

They pulled up at the house that had become their home over the past two weeks. Charlie was the first to notice the familiar car in the driveway, but Jennifer quickly picked it up to.

"Mommy's home," she squealed as she tried to free herself from her car seat. Charlie helped her unbuckle herself and Jacob opened the door so that the girl could rush towards the house.

It didn't take a genius to notice Charlie's downcast attitude. Especially when the door to the house opened and Sam gathered Jenn in her arms. Charlie smiled at the enthusiasm the girl showed, but Jacob knew it wasn't the biggest smile that the boy could have. It was the same thing he had done for the past two weeks. The only time a full grin had appeared was during the three baseball practices that Jacob had conducted, all without Jack. He had to admit that he was really enjoying this coaching thing.

The best part though had been Denise Cooper's overwhelming concern for Jack. Every practice she had asked about Jack, and every time she had given Jacob a message to deliver to Jack from her. Jacob had done so with much pleasure, teasing the younger man about it every time.

But Jacob's focus right now was not on Jack, but his son. Once they got to the door, Sam set Jenn down and hugged Charlie. "I missed you Charlie," she said with a smile.

Charlie might be a boy, but right now he was tired of seeing everyone but his Dad, so as Sam gathered him in a hug, he started to cry. Big sobs while tears streamed down the boy's face.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked as she tried to comfort the boy.

"I. Want. My. Dad," the boy said in between gasping sobs.

Despite Charlie being quite a bit bigger than Jenn, Sam picked him up and carried him into the living room and deposited him on someone's lap. Someone who he recognized rather well.

"Dad," he sobbed burying his head in his father's chest as Jack gathered the boy in his arms.

"I missed you too," Jack whispered as he rocked his son.

Only when Charlie had stopped crying did Jack notice that Jenn had found her way into Sam's arms and the two of them were having the same experience as Charlie and Jack. Except Sam had it a lot easier then Jack because she didn't have a cast on his leg.

"You guys ready to eat now?" Jacob called from the kitchen, where he had retreated to shortly after arriving.

"Yeah," Jack called and he reluctantly began to push Charlie off his lap. He stood to make his way into the kitchen, and then realized that his crutches were out of reach. Luckily, eating in the kitchen hadn't been the plan because Jacob, Daniel, and finally Teal'c emerged from the kitchen bearing a cake with four candles. They all wore cone shaped party hats and began to sing "Happy Birthday" as they gathered around Jenn.

And so began an evening of fun and entertainment as they celebrated Jenn's birthday for the second time.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

"O'Neill is asleep," Teal'c said quietly and everyone turned to look at the Colonel who was asleep, and snoring softly sprawled on the couch.

Sam smiled at the man. He looked so relaxed and peaceful when he slept.

"Janet must have given him the good stuff," Jacob claimed.

"Can you put him in the guest bed Teal'c?" Sam requested as she picked up Jenn to take her to bed.

Teal'c bowed his head and moved to comply with her request.

"Definitely the good stuff," Daniel agreed when Jack didn't even stir as Teal'c picked him up and carried him out of the room.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Jack woke up in a strange bed in a strange room the following morning. He could tell it was early because the sun wasn't even out yet. He started to move only to have pain from his ribs cause him to groan. He found his crutches and hobbled to the bathroom. He returned to the room and noticed that a lamp had been turned on.

"I brought you some more pain medication and a glass of water," Sam said as she moved off the bed so Jack could lie down once more.

"You didn't need to," Jack mumbled before he swallowed the pills.

Sam took the empty glass and left the room, but not before turning the light out and saying, "Your welcome," as she left.

Once more Jack quickly found the oblivion of sleep.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

It took almost three months for Jack to return to active duty. Luckily the break hadn't been that bad and had healed quickly. While Jack had been out of commission, Sam had taken command of SG-1 in lieu of forming her own team with SG-7. The time in command had been well spent if only for the reason that Daniel and Sam had made their peace. The two seemed to finally understand each other and the reasons behind Sam's move away from a more dangerous first contact team to a science team.

The first mission back sent all four members of SG-1 (since Jack didn't have a replacement and Sam didn't have a team yet) off world only to have them return as robots. Needless to say, Jack was quite happy to return and get _that_ problem fixed.

When Daniel found the mirror that sent him to an alternate reality, Jack was glad that Sam hadn't been off on a mission so that she could explain exactly what she thought had happened. He had never seen her so excited, except for that first mission to Abydos when she realized the Stargate could go other places. Seems proving science theories right got her really excited.

Then there was the attempt by Kinsey to shut down the program. Jack considered it an attempt because even though he succeeded in the short run, it didn't take long for the President to change his mind when SG-1 saved the planet.

Jack hadn't been sure about asking Sam to participate in their 'gate hijacking, but she had been the one to seek him out and ask, "So when are we leaving?"

At that point, he knew he wouldn't be able to leave her behind. He was sure that she went home the night before that mission and held Jenn a little tighter, because he had done the same with Charlie. Of course he had submitted his paperwork for retirement before leaving, only to return and find that Hammond had conveniently misplaced it- back on Jack's desk. Jack didn't call him on it though, considering that Daniel was alive and well and all of SG-1 had been transported back to Earth by the Space Shuttle. It didn't get much better than that.

The next mission started a chain reaction of events that would change the SGC's view of the universe.

oooooooooooooooooooooo


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_The next mission started a chain reaction of events that would change the SGC's view of the universe._

SG-1 had been helping people from the planet Nassya evacuate because the Goa'uld were attacking. Unbeknownst to everyone but Sam, she had become host to one of their enemy. Sam ended up scaring Cassie and upon discovery, was placed in a holding cell. No one believed Jolinar's story that she was not a Goa'uld, but rather a Tok'ra trying to escape an assassin, which she called an Ashrak. When the Ashrak attacked and succeeded in almost killing Sam and Jolinar, Jolinar choose to sacrifice herself, saving Sam in the process.

The Tok'ra and/or Goa'uld had to be absorbed by Sam's system and even when gone, left behind a protein marker.

Sam was depressed and withdrawn. She had come so close to dying. Even her own daughter had been threatened by the Tok'ra that had invaded her body.

Since the first time the gate had been opened, Sam expressed no desire to venture through it. When Jack found this out, he knew something was really wrong.

And he set out to do whatever it would take to right it.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Despite Jack's best arguments, General Hammond refused to grant Jack permission to bring Jenn on the base. So Jack turned to his second option, Cassie, and for the first time in days, he saw the spark that was Sam emerge. It took a lot of convincing, tests, and promises for Jack to get Janet to release Sam from the infirmary.

He figured that her decision to release Sam came as much from a desire to shut him up as it was to get him out of the infirmary where he had spent every night for the past two weeks. Several times every night, Sam had woken with nightmares and only a familiar face had actually been able to calm her down. Daniel had tried to join Jack one night but ended up getting struck by Sam's arm as she attempted to escape from her 'attackers'. Sam had apologized profusely the next day when she saw the mark on Daniel's face, but Daniel had waved it off, claiming his own stupidity. Teal'c had disappeared too, mainly because his presence caused Sam confusion as she emerged from her dreams. It seemed that Sam and Teal'c could 'sense' each other, what ever that meant.

Sam was still plagued by nightmares, but Jack considered himself the expert at fighting that particular demon. So he sat by her bed every night and fully intended to make himself available 24/7 for as long as he could to help her.

He drove her home himself and watched as she tried to find the strength to show the proper amount of enthusiasm for Jenn and Charlie. She was able to do so long enough to pick at her food and listen to Charlie and Jenn talk about the upcoming end of the season tournament, which Charlie confidently said that his team could win, given that they had lost only twice during the regular season, each time by two runs or less.

Sam smiled happily, but Jack and Jacob could both see her fatigue and quickly rushed their way through dinner so that everyone could get a bath or shower and get to bed early.

Three hours later, Jack woke with a start from his spot on the couch. A blonde haired girl was sniffling right in front of him. "What's wrong Jenn?" Jack asked as he reached out to pull the girl into his arms.

"Mommy doesn't want me," the girl sniffled as she curled up in his lap.

"Oh honey," Jack comforted her, "You mom just had a really bad time at work and she's been having nightmares. You know, like the ones you have where you wake up and think that Grandpa Jacob has left. Trust me, your mom still loves you."

"Pinky promise?"

Jack stuck out his pinky and struck a deal with the four year old. "Pinky promise," he swore.

"I miss mommy when she's gone," Jenn confided in Jack while he carried her back to her room and tucked her in again.

"I know she missed you too," Jack assured her. "If you need anything, you can come get me okay Jenn?"

Jenn yawned. "Okay dad," she said sleepily.

Jack looked at her in shock. "Dad?" he repeated and then smiled. He wouldn't mind having a daughter like Jenn at all, he decided as he walked back towards the couch, only to pass by Sam's room. He peeked in and saw Sam moving restlessly beneath the sheets.

Experience told him that it was only a matter of minutes before she would wake once more. So rather than let her wake the entire house when she awoke from her nightmare, Jack went forth to try and settle her.

If someone asked him what happened later, he wouldn't be able to tell them, because he really didn't know. The last thing he remembered was being cold as he sat and rubbed Sam's back in an attempt to calm her down. He must have fallen asleep because the next time he woke up, he was holding Major Samantha Carter in his arms, and she was sleeping peacefully for the first time in weeks.

"Jack," a deep voice said from behind him, which caused Jack to turn around to see exactly what had woken him up. Carefully, he unwrapped his arm from where it was slung over Sam and untangled his legs from hers. Sam whimpered a little bit as he moved, but with a touch of his hand to her arm, she settled once more.

Jack went to the door and found Jacob holding Jenn.

"She wouldn't go back to sleep unless she saw you," Jacob explained as he turned his body so Jenn could see Jack.

In one arm Jennifer held a stuffed dog, the one Jack had gotten her the same day in the park he had given Cassie one to celebrate her adoption. After all, every kid on Earth needed a dog, and if Jack hadn't thought that he would suffer bodily harm from Doctor Fraiser or Sam he would have gotten them both real dogs. She held her arms out to Jack indicating that she wanted him to take her.

Not one to deny the girl, Jack swept her out of Jacob's arms and cradled her in his own. "What's wrong Jenn?" he asked as she snuggled into his chest.

"Bad dweams," was her muffled reply. "Want mommy."

"Mommy's sleeping right now," Jacob patiently explained.

"Want mommy," Jenn repeated, a little louder than before.

A voice from the doorway of Sam's bedroom ended the argument. "Put her in bed with me," Sam suggested, still wiping sleep from her eyes.

Jack looked at Jacob who shrugged. So Jack followed Sam back to her bed and slid Jenn into the king sized bed, right next to her mom. Jenn didn't even notice, she had already fallen asleep in Jack's arms. Jack tucked her in and turned to leave, only to be pulled back by Sam's hand on his arm.

"Stay," she pleaded.

Not knowing what else to do, Jack crawled under the covers and went to sleep. There wasn't much he could do to help Sam, and if having him close helped, than he would do it, no matter how uncomfortable it made him.

He only hoped that Jacob would agree with him.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Jacob didn't say a word when Jack pretty much started living at their house and sharing a bed with his daughter.

Even when it stretched past Sam's return to active duty.

And through SG-1's attempts to find a replacement for her.

Sam was finally starting to form her own team, taking advice from Jack and Jacob as she looked through the personnel files. Jacob could tell which nights SG-1 was off world just by the movements of his daughter. When Jack wasn't there to help keep the dreams and nightmares at bay, Sam worked late into the night, trying desperately to exhaust herself so she could sleep soundly.

It never seemed to work.

Sam would sleep for a couple of hours before Jacob figured a dream woke her up and she would resume her restless movements.

Jacob never mentioned any of this to anyone.

Jacob watched the relationship between Jack and Sam grow. Some days he just had to laugh silently as he watched the two of them ignore whatever feelings were between them. It was obvious to him that there was a deep bond there. If only one of them would figure it out AND talk to the other about it, he might actually make some money on one of those bets he had put down.

Jacob figured he had a better chance of Jack making General than either of them actually admitting that they needed or even wanted the other one.

And there were two chances of Jack making General- slim and none.

Jacob smiled at that thought. He had believed the same thing when he had asked Sam's mom out for the first time, so he was counting anything out, yet.

If worst came to worst, he figured he could always give Jack a swift kick the butt.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

It was August before the weather and Jack's mission schedule finally cooperated so that he could hold the end of the season baseball team picnic at a local park.

SG-1 minus Sam and plus a different trial replacement had been on several missions since Sam had been released from the infirmary. They had been held prisoners three times, once in prison colony, once in a virtual world, and finally by Daniel and a misguided Princess whose over use of the sarcophagus had driven them both crazy. Daniel was through the final stages of withdrawal, but was still feeling guilty for holding his teammates prisoner and for almost shooting Jack.

Luckily, Jack knew the best way to fix that problem was to spend some time with his team, both of his teams. So on a Saturday afternoon, Jack and Jacob's baseball team gathered for one final game before they could officially declare the season over.

It was time for the Kids versus Parents game, and considering the boys had were still walking tall after winning the end of the season tournament, they were convinced they were going to beat their parents. Of course, considering there was almost 20 on the kids' team, once siblings were included in the game, and only 8 parents willing to play, (counting Jack, Jacob, and Daniel while Teal'c was appointed the official umpire and scorekeeper) it wasn't a surprise that the kids won.

What did shock the parents was when the youngest and smallest girl on the team hit a fly ball into center field. Only her short legs kept Jenn from turning that hit from a single into a double, even with the large number of outfielders.

Once the game was over and the kids were basking in the glory of having beaten their parents, the group sat down to eat. After the majority of the food was gone, Jack and Jacob made the presentation of trophies and certificates the players while the families clapped and applauded the players' accomplishments over the season. Some of the families quickly left, but others stuck around, and the kids began begging to play another game of baseball.

After continuous begging by Charlie and Jenn's use of her puppy dog eyes, Jack finally gave in. "Okay," he relented, "But different teams this time."

The kids quickly ran off to round up more players and Jack was left alone by Jacob. "Tired of loosing son?" Jacob joked.

Jack smirked at the older man. "I let them win," he whispered confidently to Jacob.

Daniel dropped unceremoniously next to Jack and claimed, "Of course you did Jack."

"I did," Jack insisted.

"Dad!" Charlie called, alerting him that his presence was requested.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

They had finished another game, with Jack's team loosing once again, though this time he was pretty sure the calls by 'Umpire Teal'c' had been fairer than in the previous game. Still many of the kids were taking turns pitching and batting on the field. Jack took to supervising the game, having said good-bye to Teal'c and Daniel after thanking them for their assistance that day.

Denise Cooper had maneuvered her way into a seat next to Jack on the bench as they watched the dwindling group of kids continue to play.

Jack didn't even realize she was there until she spoke.

"You really like this coaching thing, don't you?" Denise asked.

"Yeah, I guess I do," Jack agreed as he turned his head so that she received the full force of his smile, but quickly returned to watching the kids.

Denise has tried another tactic. "Andrew has really enjoyed having you as a coach this year," she claimed.

"He's a good kid," Jack responded, "You've done a good job raising him."

"Thanks. The same goes for you with Charlie and Jenn too I guess, as I've never seen either of her parents," Denise complimented.

"Work keeps Sam pretty busy," Jack explained. "We pretty much try to alternate our schedules so that we don't have to rely too much on Jacob to watch the two of them."

"Have you known Sam and Jacob for a long time?" Denise asked curiously, trying to figure out if this man could possibly be gay.

"Little more than a year."

"Oh. Is Sam coming today?"

"About any time now," Jack replied as he watched the kids gather again and begin to split into two groups. Seemed like two games in one day hadn't been enough for them, they wanted another game.

Denise watched as Jack went out and expertly organized the remaining kids into two evenly talented teams and then proceeded to pitch to the kids for a third game that day. "That is one good looking man," Denise said quietly as she watched him interact with all the kids.

"Who is?" Sam asked as she dropped into the seat Jack had abandoned a few minutes before.

"Him," Denise said, indicating Jack.

"Jack?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, Jack. I wouldn't mind dating a man like him. If he treats women as well as he does kids, well let me just say that she would be a really lucky lady," Denise claimed.

Sam was stopped from saying anything as Jack caught her eye. "Major, get out here and be my catcher! I'm too old to have to chase down these baseballs!"

Sam hopped up. "Yes sir," she said, giving him a mock salute as she did so.

Jack just shook his head at her tactics.

All the while the kids played, Denise kept an eye out for Jack's friend Sam, wanting to meet Jenn's father. If Jack wasn't interested in dating her, then maybe Sam would be!

They reached the end of the game, and Sam hadn't shown up yet. The rest of the parents had collected their children, leaving just the woman Jack had called 'Major', Jack, Charlie, Jenn, Andrew, and Denise.

"Did Dad go home already?" Sam asked as she helped Jack pack up the rest of the equipment.

"Yeah, Jake left a while ago. He had some stuff to do," Jack said.

"Did he need a nap Mommy?" Jenn asked.

Sam traded glances with Jack before crouching down to reassure the girl. "Maybe, hanging out with Jack probably wore him out," she explained.

"Hey! I'm not that bad Sam!" Jack insisted while Jenn and Charlie giggled.

Despite her attempt not to, Denise gaped at Sam. "You're Sam?" she asked in disbelief.

"Let me guess, you thought Sam was a guy, right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Denise admitted. "Sorry."

Sam waved her apology off. "You're not the only one," Sam said giving Jack a pointed look.

"You're the one that offered to arm wrestle me," Jack pointed out.

"After you told me you didn't like scientists," Sam added.

"True," Jack agreed as he shouldered the bag of equipment and gave Charlie a little shove towards his truck.

Sam fell into step beside him, Jenn's hand securely in her own.

Denise watched the pair and shook her head. There was no way she was going to get a date with Jack now, so she followed Jack's example and made sure Andrew had everything before directing him towards her own vehicle. She watched Sam secure Jenn in Jack's vehicle, right next to Charlie before Jack climbed in and drove away, promising to meet her at 'home'.

Denise made sure Andrew was on his way to her car when she stopped to talk to Sam. "You're a very lucky woman to be dating a guy like Jack," Denise commented.

"I'm not dating Jack," Sam insisted

Denise raised an eyebrow. "Why not? He's head over heels in love with you."

"No he's not," Sam responded.

"Trust me Sam. I've been watching him all season and he's never looked at anyone else like he looked at you this afternoon. The last guy that looked at me like that was my husband and marrying him was the best thing I ever did. He passed away several years ago, but if I had a guy looking at me like Jack looks at you, I wouldn't think twice about marrying him, let alone dating him!" Denise exclaimed.

Denise shook her head once more. "Good guys like Jack don't come around very often. I'd snatch him up before some other woman does," she suggested and then proceeded to get in her car and drive away, leaving a stunned Samantha Carter behind.

oooooooooooooooooooooo


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

For the next several days and nights, Jack noticed that Sam was quieter, as though she was constantly thinking about something. Finally, after two straight nights during which Sam was overly restless and unable to sleep, Jack confronted her.

It was 0200 according to the bedside clock when Sam turned for the third time in less than 30 minutes. Jack sat up and flicked on the bedside lamp. "What's wrong?" he demanded.

"Nothing," Sam insisted.

"Sam," Jack said in a pleading voice, one that always seemed to get her talking.

"It's nothing."

Jack looked intently at Sam. "I can't help you unless you tell me what's bothering you Carter. And I want to help you," Jack reminded her.

"I know. And thank you for everything these past few weeks you've been great. I don't think I could have gotten through this without you," Sam said honestly.

"But?"

"But why are you doing it?"

"Sam," Jack said softly, "You're my friend. And it's my fault that you got a snake in the head anyways."

Sam turned her eyes to Jack. "How do you figure that it's your fault?"

Jack took a deep breath and let it out before answering. "I ignored your wishes. You wanted off of a first contact team for something safer and took all the necessary steps to get there. But I was too selfish to let you go."

Sam shook her head in disbelief. Didn't he know? Hadn't someone told him? Was this why he was helping her? "I choose to go on that mission. General Hammond gave me a choice to stay or go, and it was my decision to help that man that caused me to end up with Jolinar in my head. It was not your fault," Sam assured him.

Jack shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"What for? Because you've been wasting your time with me? Because you feel sorry for me? Well don't! I'll be perfectly fine on my own!" Sam exclaimed. And with that, she left Jack alone, sitting in her bed.

Jack was lost in his own thoughts, so he never realized that Jacob was standing in the doorway, until Jacob chuckled. "You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say you two fought like a married couple."

Jack gaped at the retired General. "We aren't…you know…," Jack trailed off embarrassed, "Sleeping together. Well were sleeping together, but not sleeping together sleeping together…"

"I know," Jacob assured him after a short pause to tease the man.

"I don't understand her, sir," Jack complained.

Once more Jacob chuckled. "We men rarely understand women Jack. And Sam is more complicated than most, with her past and everything else going on in her life right now."

"Yeah, well, you know her sir, what do you think I should do?" Jack asked, looking hopefully at Jacob.

"It's Dad," Jacob said.

"Dad?"

Jacob sighed. "Jack, I've only known you for a short time, but I can honestly say I know more about you than my own son. Call me Dad. If you ever get your head out of your…butt...you'd have the right to do it by marriage."

"What?" Jack asked in confusion.

"Jack, you're a good man, a good father, and a good friend. You obviously care about Sam and treat her well, which is more than I can say for the last guy she was involved with. Jenny adores you. I don't know why the two of you haven't tried a relationship yet, and I won't be saying anything after tonight, but the two of you are meant for each other," Jacob insisted.

Jack shook his head. "She deserves better Jacob. I'm a single dad who's spent his adult life in the military. If you think Sam has issues, you can't even imagine the amount of baggage I've got," Jack argued.

"In a perfect world, no one would ever be good enough for Sam," Jacob assured him. "But I live in the real world, and so does Sam. Just talk to her Jack, I have every confidence that the two of you can work it out, and that you will work it out."

Jack was silent.

"Do you love her Jack? Could you love her?"

Jack thought about it for a few seconds. "I like her Jacob, from the moment she challenged me to arm wrestle her Jake, I liked her. No matter how hard I tried not to, but I couldn't not like her. Love her? I could easily fall in love with Sam."

"But that doesn't matter. She can't see me as anything more than a former CO, a good friend, but love me? Jacob, there's no way Sam could love me," Jack claimed. "Care for me? Respect me? Yes. But love me? There's no way."

"Then why did she transfer off of SG-1 Jack? And don't tell me that it was because it was too dangerous, because she's been out with you guys on some pretty dangerous missions since that transfer. No Jack, take from a father who knows his daughter, she asked for that transfer because she was getting too close to you, and it scared her," Jacob proclaimed before he patted Jack on the shoulder and left him alone.

Jack took a few minutes to collect his thoughts before he went looking for Sam. He found her sitting on the back porch, on the swing, wrapped up in a blanket, swaying back and forth with the light breeze.

He sat down next to her.

"I'm sorry," they both said at the same time.

Sam giggled.

"Hey! Do I need to remind you about the standing no giggling order?" Jack joked.

"No sir," Sam said in the most serious voice she could muster- which only caused her to giggle more.

Tentatively, Jack wrapped his arm around Sam. Sam responded by leaning into Jack.

Silence surrounded them, and they both just enjoyed the moment, wanting to enjoy it while they could.

It was Sam who broke the silence. "I'm sorry. I know you're trying to help me- you are helping me," she corrected quickly. "I just…someone said something that got me thinking and I got confused about why you were doing it. I think I forgot that you're my friend, nothing less, nothing more, and you've been there for me every step of the way."

"I'll always be there," Jack promised.

"Don't make promises you can't keep Jack."

"I don't make promises that I have no intention of keeping," Jack insisted.

"So what, you're going to hold my hand for the rest of my life like my Dad?" Sam asked.

"No, but I'll be there to catch you when you fall, if you'll let me," Jack offered.

Sam huffed. "You're not the first guy who has said that to me."

"I'm not any of those guys."

"I know that but my head says one thing and my heart says another," Sam admitted.

"Your heart?" Jack asked in surprise. "How do you think I feel when you wouldn't talk to me tonight? We've gotten closer these past few months, trusted each other with things we've never told anyone else. I really thought we were going somewhere, that we had something special, at least the start of something special."

"Where did you get that idea from?" Sam asked bewildered.

"Maybe the fact we've been sleeping together?" Jack suggested sarcastically.

"Oh."

"Never mind, I guess I was reading too much into things," Jack said as he jerked away from Sam, already contemplating some sort of revenge for 'Dad'.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Jacob had watched the exchange from the shadows of the kitchen.

'They could never do things the easy was could they?' Jacob asked himself. 'Nope, they had to go and muddy the waters even more. Good work Jacob- you did real well this time,' he congratulated himself.

He waited until Jack had closed the door before he spoke.

"You really need to learn to say what you mean Jack," Jacob suggested lightly.

"I thought I did," Jack grumped.

"How much more clear can I make it that we have a relationship? Or that I want to pursue that relationship? One that isn't just based on sharing a bed to keep away the nightmares? One that involves movies that aren't animated or rated G? Or eating somewhere that serves food that isn't pizza or doesn't come with a toy? Preferably just the two of us?" Jack ranted.

But because he was so focused on complaining to Jacob, that he missed Sam coming in the door and standing behind him.

Jacob locked eyes with his daughter and smiled slightly, a smile that she easily returned.

"None of that matters though Jake, because it's not what Sam wants. It's going to hurt for me to let her go and it will take some work for me to get used to not sleeping with someone every night, but I'll do it because you were wrong Jacob. There's nothing between the two of us except friendship, and I'm not willing to force Sam into a relationship she doesn't want. And judging by her reaction tonight, you were wrong _Dad_ Sam thinks of me as nothing more than a former CO and a good friend."

Jacob watched as Sam tapped Jack on his shoulder.

"What?" He practically yelled as he turned around.

When Sam kissed Jack on the lips, and didn't let go, Jacob took that as his cue to leave. No father ever really wanted to see his little girl kissing a man like that.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Once Jack got over the initial shock of Sam Carter kissing him, he pulled away.

"Not that that wasn't great but I don't understand- I thought you didn't want this," Jack said waving his hand between the two of them.

Sam frowned slightly. "I just…can we talk?"

"I thought that was what we were doing," Jack joked.

Sam smiled faintly at his attempt at humor. "How about outside, so we don't wake anyone up," Sam suggested. She didn't give him a choice as she walked back outside, leaving the door open for him.

Once Jack sat down, Sam settled herself into his side, tucking her legs under her, and wrapping the blankets around them to keep them warm. "I need you to understand why relationships scare me so much."

Sam took a deep breath. "The last guy I dated was Jonas Hanson. I met him while we were both stationed at the same base for about a year in the Middle East. We met again when I got transferred to start working a project that eventually led to me working on the Stargate. We had kind of been friends, probably more of acquaintances that had friends in common during the Gulf War, but he asked me out in such a flattering way that I couldn't say no. It was a relationship that worked for both of us, he understood that I was dedicated to my work, and didn't mind because he was doing the whole black ops thing, and was gone most of the time. Every time he was 'in town', he would take me out and wine and dine me. Of course, those dates usually occurred in one week stretches once every month or two," Sam explained.

"We had dated for about a year, when he first mentioned the idea of marriage. I don't think shocked is even the right word to describe my surprise. It wasn't a proposal, but more like an assumption on his part that the two of us would be getting married one day. I went home that night and actually calculated the number of hours that we had actually spent together once we started dating. The fact it came to less than a month should have set off alarms, but it didn't. By the time he proposed six months later, in the worst manner of any proposal I have ever heard of, I might add, I think I said yes because he expected me to."

"After we got engaged, he changed, almost overnight. Jonas went from being the sweet, caring boyfriend to the overly possessive, aggressive fiancé. I thought it was just the result of a couple bad missions in a row. I was wrong."

"I was at home one night, when he came over. He banged on the door until I let him in, and then he went crazy. He was screaming at me about seeing me with another guy, and cheating on him. I tried denying it but all that seemed to do was make him madder. He hit me- one time- and knocked me out. I woke up alone, seems Jonas was already on his way out of the country. I called Dad; he got me the transferred. Nine months to that night exactly, Jenn was born. Three months later, I got an offer from Catherine to start working on the Stargate and the rest, they say is history," Sam finished brightly.

Unconsciously Jack tightened his hold on Sam. It took a lot for him to control his anger, all of which was directed towards now deceased Captain Jonas Hanson. "I'm sorry," he finally said, knowing that wasn't quite good enough, but since he didn't have anything else to say, it would have to do.

"It's not your fault."

"No and it's not yours either," Jack reminded her. "You didn't deserve what he did to you."

"It took me a long time to figure that out. I think it took holding Jenn in my arms the first time for me to be finally convinced that it wasn't my fault, that I hadn't done anything wrong."

"I can't even begin to imagine what you went through," Jack said as he comforted her.

With tears in her eyes, Sam looked at Jack. "As awful as that night was, I would do it all over again because Jenn was the result. I can't imagine not having her," Sam claimed.

"I can relate. You know that Charlie's mom isn't in the picture, that she left right after Charlie was born, right?" Jack asked.

Sam nodded.

"I didn't even know about Charlie until after he was born. But the first time I held him in my arms, I knew he was my son, and that I was going to do whatever it took to give him everything he deserved. So I did more paperwork than I even knew existed, sat through interviews and court hearings until they finally decided I was a 'suitable parent'," Jack explained.

"Did anyone ever tell you why I went on that first mission through the gate?" Jack asked.

He held Sam's gaze as she shook her head no.

"Sarah came back, married, and with a really good lawyer. She used everything she could get her hands on to try and get custody of Charlie. I'll never know for sure, but I pretty sure that she talked to someone and arranged for me to disappear on a classified mission two days before the final court hearing. I figured I didn't have a chance of keeping custody, especially with all the dirt she managed to get, the missions that went on for weeks at a time, leaving Charlie with a babysitter or friends… you know, the typical single parent in the military type stuff. I went on that mission with no idea that it was supposed to result in my death. I was lucky more than anything else to make it back," Jack explained.

"I came back to a message that Charlie was living with the Dixons until I could come get him. The judge saw through whatever front Sarah was trying to create and gave me permanent custody. Sarah appealed the court order and was denied. She killed herself two days later," Jack said sadly.

Now it was Sam's turn to comfort Jack. "I'm sorry," she said, squeezing his hand with her own.

"I can't say that I really knew her anymore, if I ever did," Jack admitted.

"Does Charlie know?"

"No."

"Oh."

"You know, I'm not any better at this relationship thing than you are, so why are you so worried?" Jack asked.

Sam paused. "As long as the two of us were just friends, I was okay, but the second I thought we could be something more, I got… scared," Sam admitted and then looked away, embarrassed at her admission.

"Hey," Jack said softly, using his hand to turn her face back to his. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Being scared is perfectly normal, especially considering your last relationship," Jack assured her. "If you think I'm not worried that I won't screw this up somehow, you're wrong."

"Then what are we going to do?" Sam asked. "Do want to just ignore _this_ or should we do something about it?"

"What do you want to do Sam?" Jack asked, once more pushing the ball into Sam's court.

Sam took a deep breath and studied Jack's face. "How about a date? Friday night? Maybe go out to eat a restaurant that doesn't serve pizza or have kids toys and a movie that isn't animated or G rated?" Sam suggested, using the same words Jack had used earlier in the evening.

As Sam started speaking, the corners of Jack's mouth had slowly turned upward, forming a smile that only grew as Sam used his words to ask him on a date. "I'd like that," Jack finally said.

By that time, the sun was making its first appearance on the horizon, and Sam and Jack sat back to watch it together.

oooooooooooooooooooooo


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Friday night came all too soon for either Sam or Jack.

"So," Jack said trying to fill the silence that had surrounded them since they had gotten in his truck.

"So what?" Sam asked.

"I have no idea," Jack admitted. "What are people supposed to say when they go on their first date? I don't remember the last time I went on a first date," Jack admitted.

"Well usually, the couple spends all evening trying to get to know each other better, you know where they work, their favorite pizza toppings, that kind of thing, but I think we've already covered those," Sam replied.

"True. I already know where you work, that you hate anchovies on your pizza, but think that pineapple should be considered a pizza topping- which it is not!"

"It brings good nutritional balance to a food that would otherwise be considered junk food," Sam insisted. Sam thought for a few seconds about what they could talk about.

"Tell me about your childhood," Sam suggested.

And Jack did.

He told her about being born in Chicago, but spending every summer and then once his parents died in a freak accident, his teenage years with his Grandfather in Minnesota. He told her about how he inherited his cabin there from him and went there as often as he could. How it was surrounded by peace and quiet and a pond where he fished.

Jack didn't even realize he had been talking so long until the waiter came and told them that the restaurant was closing.

"We… uh… missed the movie," Jack commented as he looked at his watch while helping Sam into the truck.

"It's okay," Sam assured him, "We'll just have to go next time."

"Next time? How do you know I'll ask you on a second date?" Jack asked jokingly.

Sam looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Seems to me that I was the one who asked you out," she pointed out.

Jack thought about it for a few seconds. "You're right," he admitted grudgingly.

"I know."

Once more they suffered the silence as Jack drove Sam home. Actually Jack was still sharing a bed with Sam, so he was going home too.

"So," Sam said as she took her turn trying to fill the silence.

"So what?"

"So… you gonna ask me on a second date?"

"I was thinking about it," Jack said with a smile, "But I figured that I would let us finish this one first. You know, don't want to push my luck."

Sam looked at him and giggled while shaking her head. This man could make her laugh every time with his childish antics.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

While SG-1, with yet another replacement for Sam, went back to Cimmeria on a rescue mission, Sam finalized her team with General Hammond, who gave her two weeks before the members would officially arrive.

Sam had put a lot of thought into selecting her team. She had eventually decided to pick a team that could function without her but could also benefit from working with her, considering her expertise could be required elsewhere but she didn't want this to mean that her team would have to be grounded.

And given some of the missions Sam had went on with SG-1 and their difficulty in finding a replacement for her, Sam had a feeling that it would be awhile before her presence at the SGC would be totally independent of SG-1.

SG-1 and another rejected science candidate returned with news that they might have gained an ally in Thor and the Asgard- and that Cimmeria was safe once again.

Silently, Sam wondered if General Hammond was getting sick of all the scientists that SG-1 had gone through in an attempt to find a replacement for her. They had tried scientists from other teams, brought in other scientists that ended up in her department after rejection by Jack, two of which she had chosen to be part of her team after Jack grudgingly admitted that they were good scientists and good officers, just that they didn't fit in _his_ team.

Sam had silently laughed and examined their files carefully before offering them a spot on her team. Both had been delighted to accept.

Sam had watched Charlie and Jenn adjust seamlessly to Sam and Jack's transition from friends to… something more. Even Sam had to admit that there really weren't too many changes for the kids to adjust to, except the fact that Sam and Jack now exchanged an occasional kiss, usually nothing more than a quick peck.

But occasionally Jack would surprise her and deepen the kiss, especially when in the presence of Charlie who always injected a "Ewwww," as soon as the kiss went longer than he deemed appropriate. Sam wasn't quite sure who had taught him that one, but her bet was on either Daniel or her dad, because she didn't think Teal'c would know that kind of thing, though he was adjusting to Earth humor quite easily.

The next mission involved Sam watching as Jack was pinned to the wall of the gateroom by an orb. Sam had been forced to act like the perfect officer as she worked with Daniel to find a solution. Making the choice to allow the aliens to communicate through him was a difficult one and Sam breathed a sigh of relief when it actually worked. Still, she sat by his side, holding his hand the entire night in the infirmary, even through Janet's threats to sedate her so that she would get some sleep.

Jack finally woke up and after a brief exam was released from the infirmary, his arm in a sling. Janet insisted on Sam driving him home, despite Jack's protests that he was fine. Of course home was Sam's place, as Jack hadn't actually slept more than a night or two at his house in the past four or five months.

"I'm fine," Jack insisted gruffly as Sam rushed around trying to help him get settled on the couch. "I don't need your help!"

Sam threw up her hands in exasperation. "Fine!" she said, "I'll be at the SGC if you want me!"

Jack watched Sam storm from the house, slamming the door on the way out. He starred at the door patiently, counting silently as he waited for Sam to return for her keys which were lying forgotten on the coffee table.

'One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand,' Jack counted to himself, and reached twenty before he heard the door open. Sam stalked in, avoiding his eyes, and reached for the keys on the table.

Jack might have only had one good arm, but that didn't impair his thinking, or the reflexes of his other hand, which quickly came out to cover Sam's hand. "I'm sorry," he apologized, avoiding her eyes. "I'm grouchy when I'm hurt, and I took it out on you. You don't deserve that."

Sam used her free hand to wipe the tears from her eyes. "It's my fault you got hurt," Sam whispered.

"No Sam, it's not. Things like this happen when you explore alien planets and deal with alien technology," he reassured her.

"No," Sam said unconvinced, "It's me. My last guy I loved for went crazy and thought he was a god. My current boyfriend got pinned to a wall by an alien device- that I was studying! How can some of this not be my fault? How can you even want to be in the same room as me? Every guy I love, including the current one, ends up getting hurt."

There were times in Jack's life where he wished he was capable of expressing his feelings properly.

This was one of those times.

He had failed to make her understand how much she meant to him. There was no doubt in his mind that he loved her, ever since Jacob had asked him months ago, but he just hadn't come up with the right way to tell her. He wasn't a hearts and flowers type of man, and Sam really wasn't that type of woman. But every woman needed to hear the words every so often, especially the first time.

Jack removed his hand from where it was preventing Sam from taking her keys and running and tried to wipe away her tears, but she was too quick for him. Sam had already turned away and was headed for the door.

The sling on his arm kept Jack from moving fast enough to stop her. Instead, he was forced to watch from the window as she drove away.

'Time to call Daniel,' Jack thought, 'Maybe he can offer some advice on how to fix my latest screw-up.'

oooooooooooooooooooooo

"I don't know Jack, maybe flowers and chocolate? I'm not exactly the romance expert here. Maybe you should ask Teal'c," Daniel suggested after he listened to Jack go on for fifteen minutes about he latest mistake in his relationship with Sam.

"Teal'c?" Jack repeated in disbelief. "You want me to ask a Jaffa for advice on Earth women?"

"Well Jaffa culture might have some sort of original cultural ritual for apologizing that could give you an idea," Daniel offered.

"Sure Daniel. You've been so helpful," Jack claimed sarcastically before he hung up on him.

Left with no other option than an alien or an eight and four year old, Jack turned to the one man who knew Sam best.

"Jacob Carter."

"I screwed up," Jack blurted out.

"Damn it Jack! Couldn't you have waited two more minutes?" I was about to win the bet with Daniel!" Jacob complained.

"Hold on! You were betting on when I would call? How did you know I was going to call? Daniel couldn't have made it down there that fast!"

"I would say that Sam's icy demeanor and the fact she had just returned from taking you home was a big hint. The fact I overheard ranting to Doctor Fraiser about the fact all men are idiots was enough to confirm my suspicions," Jacob explained. "So what did you do?"

Jack quickly related the events of the previous couple of days, filling in the details that Jacob didn't know yet. "So how do I fix it?" Jack finished by asking.

"Well flowers are always a nice touch," Jacob suggested.

Jack groaned. "I knew I should have asked Teal'c," he complained.

"What would an alien know about Earth women?"

"Hopefully more than enough to know flowers don't fix everything." Jack explained, "Especially when I don't understand why she's so upset to start with."

"Uh Jack, did it ever occur to you to think that it could be because she said she loved you?" Jacob asked with a smile in his voice.

"No… she," Jack paused and ran her words back through his mind. "OH! She did, didn't she?" Jack asked, a huge smile affixed to his face.

"Yes, she did Jack. Now do you know how to fix it?"

"Yeah, I think I do Jake," Jack went to put the phone down and thought better of it, "Hey Jacob- thanks."

"Just make her happy son, just make her happy. Preferably sooner rather than later," Jacob suggested lightly.

Jack chuckled, "I think I'll take care of it tonight. Just have her ready to leave at 1800- and don't let her eat anything!"

"Yes sir!" Jacob said, but all he got for a reply was a dial tone.

oooooooooooooooooooooo


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

It took all of Jacob's patience that evening to convince Jenn and Charlie to wait to eat, until he promised them pizza.

Which only got him into trouble with Sam for ordering pizza when there was edible food in the house.

Which was why he was relieved to answer the door and find Jack standing there.

"Thank God," he proclaimed.

"Has it really been that bad?" Jack asked.

"You so owe me."

Sam stalked to the door, expecting to find the pizza delivery boy, only to find Jack. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I see what you mean," Jack commented. He looked at Sam. "Come with me," he said holding out his hand to Sam.

Sam gave him the stare. "Why should I?"

Jacob put a hand on her back and gave her a push towards Jack. "Because he's trying to apologize in some inept way and I'm telling you to."

Sam gaped at her father in shock. Her father was treating her like she was a teenager again.

"I'm not dressed to go anywhere," she whined.

Jacob looked at his daughter. "Five minutes," he ordered.

Sam executed a perfect military about face and left the room.

"Dress warm," Jack yelled after a fleeing Sam.

Five minutes later, Sam returned to find just Jack waiting for her.

He held out his arm and gestured towards the open door, "Your carriage awaits madam."

Sam was able to keep the smile from her face until her mouth was out of Jack's line of sight. 'Damn that man,' she thought. She quickly controlled her expression as Jack rushed to open the door to his truck and help her inside.

Their destination was one of surprise for Sam. "Why are we at your house Jack?" She asked as Jack took her around to the back of the house.

"I'm apologizing for being a stupid, ignorant, insert your choice of additional adjectives man," Jack responded as he started up a ladder.

"Ok-ay," Sam accepted as she climbed up the ladder after him. The first thing Sam noticed was the view she got from the top of the landing when she stood up. The sun was just starting to dip behind the trees, creating a scene of amazing colors across the horizon when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. "It's beautiful up here Jack," Sam whispered as she leaned back against him, her anger quickly forgotten.

"If you think this is good, you should see the view from my cabin. Now that is gorgeous," Jack commented. "Come on, let's eat."

"Huh?" Sam turned around to see that Jack had spread out a blanket on the large landing next to a telescope. There was also a picnic basket.

"I thought we could eat dinner up here, kind of a picnic under the stars," Jack offered as he guided Sam to a spot on the blanket, settling himself down beside her. "After I apologize, of course."

Sam looked at him expectantly.

Jack sighed. Of course Sam wasn't going to make this easy. "I hate to be second. Always have, always will, but considering the way our relationship has gone, I guess I should have come to expect it."

"You kind of sound like Daniel, you know that right? You're rambling and I have no idea what you're trying to say," Sam interrupted. "Just get to the point."

"You said you loved me this morning, and I missed it in the midst of the argument. I shouldn't have. I'm sorry that I did. And I guess what I want to say is I love you too. A lot," Jack hurriedly said.

Sam didn't give him a chance to continue as she quickly captured his lips with her own. When they broke apart, Sam rested her head against Jack's shoulder.

Once he regained his breath, Jack asked, "Does this mean I'm out of the dog house?"

Sam snorted and shook her head. "Depends what we're having to eat," she finally said.

"Ah. Nothing fancy," Jack responded as he reached for the picnic basket and opened it, offering Sam a peanut butter sandwich.

"You know, I've never been one for anything that's really that fancy," Sam admitted as she took the offered sandwich.

"Me neither," Jack agreed and the evening went on from there. By the time it was too cold for Jack and Sam to stay outside, they had managed to get their relationship back on track.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Jack asked finally, not quite wanting the evening to end.

Sam looked at him confused. "Only if you intend to stay. The bed gets cold if you're not there to keep it warm," she explained with a smile.

"I didn't want to presume," Jack quickly explained.

"There's presuming and there's doing something you've done every night for the past few months. There's a difference," she claimed defensively.

Jack quickly raised his hands in defeat. "Hey, I'm not arguing."

It took almost an hour for them to get things cleaned and get back to Sam's house. They went through their nightly routine just like always. Sam would change in the bathroom and do anything else she needed to while Jack changed in the bedroom. Once he was done, he would knock on the bathroom door and wait for Sam to open the door and let him in to make use of the second sink. Eventually, Sam would finish and leave Jack to finish up in private. It would only take him two minutes to join Sam in bed.

As always, Jack's hands would be carefully placed to avoid certain areas when he pulled Sam to his body. Not to say that there weren't mornings where they both didn't wake up with body parts doing things they didn't want them to, but after the first few embarrassing mornings, Sam and Jack quickly learned to ignore it and go on with their lives.

There had never been any mention of going farther than just sleeping together, and Jack was content with that. After finding out about the circumstances of Jenn's… conception, he knew she was placing a large amount of trust in him just to share a bed with him.

Jack refused to betray that trust. He could and would wait until he was married- this time.

And then he realized what he had just thought about.

'Marriage?' he asked himself. 'Am I ready to do that? Would Charlie be okay with that? Heck, would Sam even want that? And Jenn? What would she think about having a 'Dad'?'

Jack had a lot to think about before he ever went ring shopping- like what he was going to say when he asked Jacob for permission to marry his daughter.

But there were other things Jack had to do first, like get through the rapidly approaching Thanksgiving holiday.

Which they ended up missing because they were on a mission to rescue Teal'c's brainwashed son. SG-1 ended up getting Sam back for that mission and they were able to rescue the boy. Teal'c had been dealt another blow though when he discovered that his wife was now married to another man. It hurt even more when said man tried to betray them. That man's death was not one that would haunt Jack.

Nonetheless, SG-1 had Thanksgiving dinner at the Carter household two days late, but they still had it. And while Jack had thought about talking to Sam about plans for Christmas privately later, Charlie had other ideas.

"Are we going to the cabin for Christmas this year Dad?" he asked eagerly.

"Charlie," Jack reprimanded softly, "It's not nice to ask stuff like in front of other people."

Charlie looked around the room. "What other people Dad? I know everyone here, they're part of the family, aren't they?"

Jack took a second to consider the others in the room. "Yeah," he agreed, "They are part of the family. But," he emphasized, "That doesn't mean you should have asked me in front of them about Christmas. It's not nice to talk about taking a trip if they aren't invited too."

"But the whole family always goes to the cabin for Thanksgiving and Christmas Dad! Can't everyone come?" Charlie pleaded.

"Charlie! Later," Jack declared and an uncomfortable silence settled around the room, one that endured for the rest of the meal.

When Jack tucked Charlie into bed that night, Charlie apologized.

"I'm sorry about asking about the cabin Dad. I'll really want to go there for Christmas. It's like tradition to go. Santa won't find me if we don't go to the cabin for Christmas," Charlie explained.

Jack forced himself not to laugh. "I don't think Santa will have trouble finding you wherever you are. He's smart like that."

"Is he as smart as Sam?"

This time Jack permitted himself to chuckle. "I'm not sure about that son, but he's smart enough to know where the kids will be for Christmas Charlie. I'll see what I can do about going to the cabin for Christmas," Jack promised.

Once the kids were settled in bed, the adults gathered in the living room and Jack addressed the issue of Christmas.

"So what are everyone's plans for Christmas?" he asked.

"I desire to visit my son," Teal'c stated.

"Janet has already invited me to go with her and Cassie to her parents' place," Daniel quickly said.

Jack looked to Sam. "Mark and his family are flying out for Christmas. It will be the first time we've truly had a family Christmas since Jenn was born," she claimed with a smile.

"Oh. Guess that throws getting you guys up to the cabin with me out," Jack declared.

"You're more than welcome to spend Christmas with us Jack. You're part of the family you know," Jacob offered.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll just take Charlie and do Christmas at the cabin. It's kind of a tradition," Jack claimed, officially closing the discussion.

At least until Sam and Jack were alone, snuggled together in bed.

"Why is Christmas at your cabin so important to you Jack?" Sam asked curiously.

"I've spent every Christmas there as long as I can remember, except the years the Air Force had me working, of course. It's a magical place at Christmas time, with the snow and the scenery and everything," Jack explained. "Charlie and I have gone there every year."

"And you wanted all of us to share in the traditional O'Neill Christmas," Sam summarized.

"Yeah, I kinda did, but spending time with your family is more important," Jack declared.

"Tell me about the cabin," Sam requested.

"It's bigger than you would think. My grandfather built the log cabin originally for his family and added on twice over the years as his family grew. There's a huge living room with a fire place. The kitchen is a little small, but has every modern necessity, including a dishwasher. The dining room has a table that a local woodworker built, oh twenty years ago, and is made to sit ten comfortably. There's plenty of room to setup a card table to put the kids at if needed. There's two bedrooms plus the master bedroom. My dad's sisters originally had the two bedrooms while my dad and his three brothers shared the huge loft that covers the space above the kitchen and dining room. Now it's more a play space, though the beds are still up there so I could easily put four or five kids up there," Jack described.

"We used to have father son time up there with several other dad and son combinations a few years ago during the summer, but we quit when all those families got transferred," Jack explained.

"So having five adults and four kids up there wouldn't be a tight squeeze?" Sam questioned.

"Nope," Jack declared proudly. "Maybe a little bit of a battle for hot water, but there's plenty of space. Why?"

"This is just a suggestion, so feel free to tell me no, but what would you think about all of us, that is me, Dad, Jenn, you, Charlie, and Mark's family all going up to your cabin for Christmas," Sam suggested, trying to contain her enthusiasm.

"I thought Mark and his family was flying?" Jack asked.

"He could easily change the tickets and fly in to an airport in Minnesota," Sam said.

"Are you sure he'll want to spend Christmas with some strange guy and his son?" Jack pointed out.

"He'd better not object to spending Christmas with my boyfriend and his son," Sam claimed, "After all, you're part of the family. Maybe not officially at this point," Sam blushed at that admission before quickly continuing, "But Jenn thinks of Charlie as her brother and I love him like a son."

"You sure you want to do this? Because once we tell Charlie that we're going to the cabin, there will be no changing our minds," Jack reminded her.

"Well, we'll need to check with Hammond, but I can't imagine him not giving us the time off," Sam said. "Provided the world doesn't need saving that particular week," Sam added as an afterthought."

"Even if something does come up, Dad can always take the kids and we could meet them up there," Jack offered.

"I'll call Mark in the morning," Sam vowed.

And that was how Jack O'Neill got Samantha Carter to his cabin the first time.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Jack had been trying to talk to Jacob for a week, but hadn't been able to find the right time. He didn't know what to get Sam for Christmas, had no ideas at all, and was hoping Jacob could give him a hint. The conversation he wanted to have was completely different than the one he ended up having though.

"Jacob," Jack called as he saw the man walking down the hallway towards his office.

Jacob got to his office door and stopped, waiting for Jack to catch up.

"Can I talk to you about Sam quick?" Jack asked.

Jacob's face went from expressionless to a knowing grin instantaneously. "Come on in," he said as he pushed the door open, "I don't think this is one discussion we want to have out in the hall."

Once they were seated, Jack said, "So…," unsure how to ask his girlfriend's father, and his friend, for an idea for a Christmas present for said girlfriend.

"So…" Jacob repeated, "You know if you hurt her I'd have to kill you right?"

Slightly confused, Jack corrected him. "I'm pretty sure Sam can take care of herself sir."

"Still, it's one of those things that fathers have to say before giving a man permission to marry his daughter," Jacob claimed.

Jack gulped. That was not the reason he was here. "Really?"

"Yes son," Jacob said patronizingly, "You'll find out some day when Jenny brings home her first boyfriend." Jacob laughed as he watched Jack's eyes grow impossibly large at the idea. "I feel better knowing that if something happened to me, you'd be here to take care of both of them. You're a good man Jack."

"You're okay with the idea of me marrying Sam?" Jack asked cautiously, still not quite believing what was happening.

"Yes Jack," Jacob said, trying not to be impatient with the man.

"And you honestly think that Sam would say yes?" Jack asked in disbelief.

Jacob shrugged. "That I can't tell you Jack, but you'll never know if you don't ask."

Jack got up and shook Jacob's hand. "Well thanks Jacob, you've been a big help."

"Call me Dad Jack, after all I'm hoping it will be official here soon," he reminded the man.

Jack smiled. "So do I," he admitted.

So even thought Jack didn't have the conversation he planned on having, he still left retired Major General Jacob Carter's office with an idea of what to get Sam for Christmas.

'Damn,' he realized, 'I'll still have to get her something else, just so I don't give anything away. And figure out how I'm going to ask her. This might have just gotten harder!'

oooooooooooooooooooooo


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Jacob Carter observed his household prepare for the coming holidays. Even though Christmas would not be spent there, so there was no tree and only a few decorations, a spirit took over.

He wondered if this Christmas truly was different than the ones of past years, or if having Jack and Charlie there just made it seem that way. Everyone was happier, and to some extent, more secretive. Jacob had already done his shopping and had tucked away the wrapped gifts in boxes for transport to Jack's cabin. Sam and Jack had taken an afternoon off work to do the shopping for their own kids, and Jacob had also wrapped those presents, hiding them away even more carefully from prying eyes.

But the best part was the day he came home to the smell of cookies wafting from the kitchen and discovered his daughter, soon to be son-in-law (at least he hoped so), and two grandchildren covered in flour as they attempted to bake Christmas cookies. Jacob wasn't sure how many cookies actually survived and were saved for the trip to Minnesota, but that didn't matter. The four of them were happy, smiling, and laughing, and Jacob knew in that moment that he wouldn't trade his family for anything.

Jacob also noticed that Jack disappeared during lunch every day for a week straight, and that Sam didn't even notice his absence, or the goofy grin he seemed to be sporting all the time these days.

It didn't take much for Jacob to convince George that Jack and Sam needed some time off, and the General graciously gave them two weeks downtime with a promise to call only if there was truly an emergency.

So the day before Mark and his family would land in Minnesota, Jacob pulled his SUV in behind Jack's truck at what he presumed was _the_ cabin. And Jacob had to agree, it was a Christmas card picturesque setting. There were mountains in the distance, snow on the ground, and even smoke rising from the chimney, which Jacob took to mean that Jack's friend had stopped by and opened the cabin up already.

After two long days of travel, the group quickly unloaded and put away everything they could before having a quick dinner and going to bed.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Mark's arrival the next day, the day before Christmas Eve, was marked by Jenn going outside- without a coat or boots. She would have gotten away with it to, if it wasn't for Jack.

"Jennifer Lynn Carter, get your butt back in the house and put your boots and coat on," Jack reprimanded the child who was just about to step down off the porch and into the snow.

Mark looked slightly disapprovingly at the man who had just disciplined a child that was not his own, but he refrained from saying anything as Sam came out and greeted Mark and Karen and their two children, Andrew who was nine and Abby who was six. "I'm glad you guys made," she said as she hugged all of them.

"We only got lost twice," Abby said proudly, which caused her father's cheeks to turn red.

"That's good," Jacob said as he joined the group. "Let's get everyone and everything in, and then we'll do introductions," he instructed.

It didn't take quite as long for Mark's family to unload, given that they had only suitcases and presents, compared to Jack's family which was staying twice as long, and therefore had brought twice as much clothing, plus the purchased food.

Jack gave the grand tour, ending at Mark and Karen's room. "And this is your guys' room. Jacob's right next door. I'll let you guys get settled."

Mark waited until Jack was out of earshot and asked his wife, "Did you notice he didn't tell us where Sam was sleeping?"

Karen gave her husband the look. "Sam's a big girl, she can take care of herself. Besides, Jacob likes him Mark, give him a chance," she suggested. "Or else."

Mark didn't want to find out what 'Or else' meant, so he reserved judgment on his sister's new boyfriend and was surprised to find that he liked the man.

The man seemed to be everything Mark had wished his own father had been.

There was a constant chatter between Charlie, Jenn, and Jack about things they had done and what they were going to do in the upcoming year.

Talk about coaching a baseball and softball team for each of the kids.

Plans to go camping.

Trips to hockey and baseball games.

Family outings with some people that Sam and Jack obviously worked with- and that the two kids seemed to like.

Yet amidst all of this, Jack drew Andrew and Abby in to things with no problems, including an impromptu snowball fight during their attempt to build a snowman.

He almost seemed too good to be true, so Mark asked his father about him. "How well do you know Jack?" Mark questioned.

Jacob smiled, he had been expecting this. Mark had been notoriously overprotective of Sam during her teenage years. "He's a good man Mark. Sam deserves someone like him. He really loves her."

"Is it serious?" Mark asked.

"I'm going to ask her to marry me," Jack said, interrupting the father-son conversation as he waltzed onto the back porch.

Mark's head whipped around. "Really?"

"Yeah," Jack said nonchalantly. "Is that going to be a problem?"

Mark paused and thought about it for a second. "No," he assured Jack. "Welcome to the family," Mark said and held out his hand for Jack to shake, realizing that he really didn't have much of a choice but to welcome the man to the family. Besides, if his wife found out that he hadn't, he would probably have to find a new place to sleep that night.

Jack looked surprised, but immediately took Mark's hand. "She hasn't said yes yet."

"She will," Mark assured him and added an 'eventually' in his head.

"She will what?" Sam asked from the open back door.

Jack's head whipped around, and quickly tried to think up something to cover their real topic of discussion.

Luckily Jacob was way ahead of him. "I said hopefully Sam would make hot chocolate and we could convince the kids to come in," Jacob explained.

Sam looked at them suspiciously, but chose to accept the explanation. "Give me five minutes," she suggested and shut the door.

"She didn't buy that at all Dad," Mark commented.

"As long as I can keep her in the dark for a little bit longer, that's all I need," Jack declared. "Then I don't care who spills the beans."

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Christmas Eve morning started off with a late breakfast and then the group move on to decorating the Christmas tree that Jack and the kids had cut down the previous day. After weighing it down with lights, ornaments, and tinsel, Jenn, as the youngest and lightest child present, was the one who Jack lifted to put the angel on top. Jack stepped back and put his arm around Sam before nodding to Charlie to flip the switch.

The tree came to life in a sparkle of blinking lights that would be even more impressive once it was dark out. Lunch was served and then some of the presents were brought out and placed under the tree.

By dinner time, Jack was looking forward to Christmas just so the kids would have some new games to play. Go Fish got really old after the tenth game. Darkness set in and they had dinner before tucking the children in for the night. The adults waited until they were sure the kids were asleep before bringing out the rest of the presents. Sam headed for the master bedroom, only for Jack to stop her.

"Will you go outside with me quick? There's something I want to show you," Jack quickly explained.

"Ok-ay," Sam said confused as she followed Jack in putting on her coat and boots.

Jack held Sam's hand and led the way outside to the dock that overlooked the pond, using a flashlight to light the way. Unlike the deck, the dock was still covered in snow. "Look up," Jack directed.

Sam looked up and gasped. Never on Earth had she been able to see the stars so clearly. "This is beautiful Jack," she said and then looked to where he had been a moment ago, only for him not to be there.

"Don't move," Jack ordered.

Sam looked down to see Jack digging through the snow.

"What are you doing?" she asked with a chuckle.

"I dropped something," Jack mumbled, still sifting through the snow.

Sam crouched down to help, spotting a glint off the light of the flashlight. Jack watched as Sam reached for, unable to beat her to the ring which now rested in the snow.

Carefully picking the object out of the snow, Sam felt the cold metal against her skin. She opened her hand and saw the last thing she ever expected. She couldn't help it, she gasped, "Jack?"

"Um… okay, let me start by saying this was so not how I wanted to do this," Jack began, still crouched in front of Sam who had yet to move her eyes from the ring that rested in her hand. "I know this is way too soon to be asking because we've only been dating for a few months, but I've never been one to wait so I'm going to ask anyways," he hurriedly said.

"Marry me? It doesn't have to be today or tomorrow, or even next year, but when you're ready, will you marry me?"

Sam's eyes had darted back and forth between Jack and the ring from the first time he had said "Marry". Now, he was looking at Sam intently, trying not to look nervous, however Sam knew better. Jack was more scared than she had ever seen him. Sam focused solely on Jack as he continued to ramble.

"I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to build a family with you and Charlie and Jenn, heck even Jacob. I want to be a Dad to Jenn like she deserves and for you to be a Mom to Charlie. So what do you say? Will you marry me? Someday?"

Sam had just been waiting for Jack to stop talking so that she could answer him. She clenched the ring tight in her hand and launched herself at Jack, knocking him to the ground as she kissed him.

When they finally parted, Jack asked with a knowing grin, "I take it that means yes?"

"Yes. It means yes," Sam replied, resting her head against Jack's chest. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this happy.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Their announcement of their engagement was met with excitement, but mostly with questions and suggestions.

"Welcome to the family son," Jacob said as he gave Jack a back slapping hug. Mark repeated the sentiment and offered a similar hug.

Even Karen gave him a hug after admiring the simple one diamond ring set in white gold that Jack had picked out. Jack knew Sam would never wear anything that was showy or lavish, so he had went with something simple. It had taken him trips to several jewelry shops to find the right one, but the second he had seen this ring, he had known it was 'the one' for Sam.

When he had shown to Jacob, the man had insisted on showing him a ring that had belonged to his wife. Other than the fact that the diamond was slightly larger and set in white gold, it could have been the same ring Jacob had given his late wife.

The last thing that sealed the engagement was Jenn asking for her 'Daddy' to tuck her into bed that night.

For Jack, Christmas had never been better.

oooooooooooooooooooooo


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Mark and his family left two days after Christmas. The rest of the two week vacation was spent at the cabin relaxing, and when Jack, Sam, and Jacob finally made their return to the SGC in the New Year, they felt better than they had in the past year about continuing their fight against the Goa'uld.

The fact that they were coming up on the one year Abydos anniversary of the day Sha're and Skaara had been taken was evident to all of SG-1. Jack and Sam really wanted to go with Daniel to Abydos but instead were being ordered to attend a medal ceremony in Washington D.C.

Of course, as was coming to be the norm, nothing went as planned for members of SG-1. An unfortunate leak to a reporter and his resulting 'accident' prevented the President from making it to the ceremony. Instead, Jacob and George presented the two officers with their medals. And then the two Generals sent them on their way to help out Daniel and Teal'c on Abydos.

Everyone returned safe and sound only to have Teal'c bitten by an alien bug on the next SG-1 mission and undergo a transformation. Teal'c made a new friend named Ally in that adventure, and learned quite a bit about the use of squirt guns as weapons.

The night Sam woke up and claimed to know where the Tok'ra were, was the day that the people of Earth met an ally who was willing to work with them. The fact SG-1 uncovered a spy in their midst and helped evacuate all of the Tok'ra including the 'oldest and wisest' of the Tok'ra, Selmak and her host Saroosh got relations between the two people off to a good start. Selmak took to Sam like a duck to water and journeyed back to the SGC with them to begin fashioning a treaty for the exchange of information and joint missions. Jacob was actually the one assigned to gather the information from Selmak and Saroosh, and surprisingly the two (or was it three) of them hit it off.

Sam claimed it was because of their similar sense of humor. Jack laughed and asked, "Jacob has a sense of humor?"

Jacob had given him a steely gaze and replied, "The sense of humor that believes you deserve to marry my daughter."

Jack quickly changed his tune.

Jack also watched Sam lead her team on their first mission through the gate and come back with a treaty for mining trinium from the planet.

The revelation of rogue SGC elements stealing alien technology meant that Earth was in danger of a weather related emergency. Using Sam Carter brilliance, Sam's team was able to locate the device and return it to Medrona, where it belonged.

At this point, spring had arrived and Jack and Jacob were talked in to coaching not just Charlie's baseball team, but Jenn's softball team. The question that seemed to follow Sam everywhere, even to the ball field was "Have you set a date?"

Sam commented to Jack one night, "I feel like taking an ad out in the newspaper to say 'we're engaged but haven't set a date yet', just so everyone will quit asking me questions!"

Jack chuckled. "I wish I could say I understood, but then I'd be lying."

"Some help you are," Sam complained. "Would you have any objection if we tried to set a date?" Sam asked tentatively.

Jack forced Sam to look at him. "This is your show. You tell me when and I'll be there," he promised.

Two weeks later, Sam informed Jack that he was taking a long weekend in three weeks so they could get married and have a couple of days for a honeymoon.

One week later, Jack had the entire database of a race Daniel eventually deemed 'the Ancients' downloaded into his head. That knowledge allowed Jack to put many new planets into the dialing computer and save Sam's team and Teal'c when they gated to one of those planets and got stuck with a damaged DHD. He also built a power device that enabled him to dial the Asgard using eight chevrons. When he returned, the knowledge was gone and he was once again Jack O'Neill.

Sam was just happy he was alive and well, not even caring about the fact that they could have missed their wedding date.

The wedding was carefully planned to be a small, private affair held in the backyard of Sam's house. A small tent was set up and an arch of roses was constructed. Tables were placed under the tent and chairs lined the aisle that led to the arch. Mark, Karen, Abby, and Andrew arrived the day before the wedding and helped with the last minute preparations.

So it was a Friday night in early May, as the sun set that Sam and Jack prepared to say their vows. Forgoing a best man or maid of honor, Sam and Jacob were the first and last two to walk down the aisle. Sam wore a cream colored gown that she had picked out with Janet a month ago. There was no hesitation on Jacob's part as he kissed Sam on the cheek and gave Sam's hand to Jack. As one, the two of them turned to face the minister. The colors of the sky reflected across Sam's hair and the white roses that covered the archway creating a strong contrast to dark blue of Jack and Jacob's dress uniforms. In fact, all the men and boys present were wearing dark colored jackets and ties while the women and girls wore light colored dresses.

Even Jenn had been conned into wearing a pretty light green dress.

Sam heard that someone was taking bets on what vows they would use. So she intentionally told Janet one thing and had Jack tell Daniel another, and they both sat back and laughed as the betting pools went into a frenzy. In reality, they had already decided to use traditional vows and they recited them while holding hands and looking into each other's eyes.

The exchange of rings took longer than they anticipated as Charlie had to go through several pockets before he found the ring and Jenn had to dig through the little purse she was carrying. Even though she knew it was coming, a tear still slid down Sam's cheek as Jack slipped her ring on the finger and said "I do," with a slight hitch in his voice.

When the minister said, "I know pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," Jack dipped her and gave her a kiss that brought whistles and cat-calls from their small, but rather rambunctious audience.

The minister announced, "I give you Jack and Samantha O'Neill."

And Jack and Sam were swarmed by their small crowd of friends.

Ferretti reached Jack first, slapping him on the back in congratulations before kissing Sam on the cheek. "If you ever change your mind Sam, just let me know, I'm still available," he claimed with a wink.

"In your dreams," Jack shot back quickly.

Major Henry Boyd, Jack's long time friend and Sam's new 2IC led her new team up next. "I'm still not sure what you were thinking Sam, but I guess I feel better knowing that you can kick his butt if he needs it."

Sam laughed and shoved the man towards Jack, "And I can kick yours too Henry, don't forget that."

"Never."

Daniel, Janet, Cassie, Teal'c, and even General Hammond had hugs or handshakes for them both and words of congratulations. No threats were necessary because they had already been given out.

Mark greeted his brother-in-law for the first time with enthusiasm and told them. "We're moving to Colorado Springs this summer."

"I know a house that's for sale," Jack said with a smile.

"A couple of them actually," Sam added, smiling at Jack, recalling their previous discussion about really needing some place bigger and closer to the mountain.

"Worry about that stuff later," Jacob suggested as he kissed his daughter, "Just enjoy the day."

And Sam and Jack did.

Their first dance together got interrupted halfway through by Jenn who decided she wanted to dance with her mom and dad. While some newly married couple might have sent the child away, Jack picked the girl off and held her so that she could join in the dance. When Charlie rushed out to join in the fun, Sam took his hand to dance with _their_ son, leaving Jack to dance with Jenn.

And as she watched Jack smile first at _their_ daughter and then at her, she wondered what it would be like to have a child that was totally and completely theirs.

All too soon, it was time for Jack and Sam to leave the reception behind. Sam let her father help her into Jack's truck, which had thankfully escaped the usual post-wedding rituals.

That only made Sam more concerned as to what her house would look like when she came home.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Jack could tell Sam was nervous the moment they set foot in their hotel room and if he was honest with himself, he was too.

"Hey," he said softly, letting his hand trail over her cheek. "I'm not going to push you or rush you or anything. We don't have to do anything tonight," he insisted.

Sam smiled nervously. "No," she said. "I want to."

"Okay," Jack said, probably a little too quickly, but he knew he was okay when smiled back at him. "Go get out of the dress," he said, pushing her towards the bathroom. "You can put something else on," he quickly added as he realized how she would probably take that statement. "Or not," he muttered under his breath.

Sam just ignored him and shut the door of the bathroom. She took the time to look around and noticed the oversized shower and the Jacuzzi sized bathtub. 'Definitely the honeymoon suite,' she whispered to herself as began to take the dress off and place it in the garment bag. Through the door, she could hear Jack doing much of the same.

She looked in her bag and pulled out the red silk nightgown and matching underwear that Janet had insisted she would need for this night. "Trust me, Jack will be speechless," she had said and as Sam looked at herself in the mirror, she couldn't understand what Jack would see that was so special.

She opened the door, making sure to make some noise so not to startle her husband. Sam smiled just at the thought of that word.

The first thing she noticed was that Jack had been busy while she was in the bathroom. Not only had managed to strip down to just his boxers and remove all signs of his uniform from the room, but he had also lit what seemed like a hundred candles around the room.

And turned off every other source of light in the room, down to unplugging the alarm clock. The whole room was lit by candle light and a small patch of moonlight which came through the window.

"This is amazing Jack," she whispered softly as she watched him light the last few candles.

"You're amazing," he said and then turned around.

Sam smiled as she watched his jaw drop when he realized exactly what she was wearing.

Or more likely, not wearing.

Jack looked at her in wonder. He had thought there was no way she could possibly look more beautiful than she had in her wedding dress today.

But obviously he had been wrong. Yet, in matters like this, Jack O'Neill didn't mind being wrong at all.

"I love you so much," he said.

"I love you too," she whispered, kissing him right after the words left her lips.

Jack tucked her head under his chin. "Tonight is all about you and making this perfect for you," he said softly. He titled her chin up so that he could meet her eyes. "Okay?"

"What about you?" Sam asked worriedly.

Jack chuckled in a way that brought goose bumps to Sam's skin and caused her to shiver in anticipation.

"I think that _that_ will take care of it's self," he whispered into her ear, right before he kissed her again.

When they broke for air, he had no qualms about picking her up and carrying her over to the bed.

The canopy bed.

For a moment Sam wondered how Jack knew that she found canopy beds romantic.

"Is this the part where we do the whole baby making thing?" Sam asked with raised eyebrows.

"It doesn't have to include the baby making thing," Jack reminded her, pointing to the box of condoms on the bedside table.

/Flashback/

"What do you think about kids?" Jack asked one night after they set the date for their wedding.

"As in having more of them?" Sam clarified.

Jack nodded.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I wouldn't trade having Jenn for anything and I love Charlie like a son, but another child? I'm not sure."

"So you're not opposed to the idea?" Jack questioned.

"But not totally in favor of it either. It's a big commitment Jack, one that requires me to take almost a year out of my life and keeps me from going through the gate," Sam reminded him.

"I know," Jack confessed, "But I'm going to admit that the idea of more kids appeals to me, especially with you."

Sam drew a deep breath and then rushed out the next sentence in that one breath. "JanetsaidImightneverhavekidsbecauseofJolinar."

It took Jack a few seconds to unravel those words into a coherent sentence. "Oh. How do you feel about that?"

Sam shrugged. "I really haven't thought too much about. I guess I always thought that one day I would get married and have another kid or two, but right now? I don't know," Sam admitted.

"I'm not pressuring," Jack claimed, "But I'm admitting that I wouldn't mind having more kids. But I'll defer to whatever you decide," Jack quickly assured her. "You're the one who has to make the majority of the sacrifices."

"Okay," Sam said almost glad that Jack had brought it out in the open and made his stance known. Now she just had to make a decision about what she was going to do about adding another child to their family.

/End Flashback/

Sam picked up the box of condoms and looked around the room until she found what she had been searching for. Without any words, she dropped the box in the trashcan.

Jack felt a rush of happiness flow through his body, as he pulled her into his arms. He had no words to tell her how happy her decision had made him.

So he showed her.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Sam quickly discovered that being married didn't mean that everything was going to be perfect or easy for her and Jack. The happily married couple did manage to enjoy a weekend of alone time before returning to work on Monday.

Tuesday, Sam found Jack on the ball field.

"Hey!" Sam called as she greeted her husband who was currently helping a very small girl put on all the standard catcher's gear.

Jack stood up and gave Sam a kiss on the cheek. "Jenn's up first the next inning," he informed her.

Sam smiled and gave Jack a shove towards the field. She moved over to the bleachers and found an empty seat, watching as Jenn's team quickly got the necessary three outs.

The teams quickly traded places on the field, Jenn not even noticing that her mom was in the bleachers. She watched her daughter moved up to the plate.

One of the other girl's parents pitched the softball and with just one swing, the ball bounced in the outfield between two girls who were more interested in playing in the grass then fielding the ball.

Parents yelled at the girls to get the ball which had not bounced fifteen feet beyond them. By the time the ball rolled towards the girl that was wearing the three sizes too big catcher's gear, Jenn had already punctuated her first homerun with a large jump onto the plate.

But Sam didn't get the chance to congratulate her daughter on her first homerun because the SGC called her.

One week later in real time, but only a few days for them, and exhausted Sam and Jack arrived back home in the middle of the afternoon. Sam had just lost her entire team and Jack had been forced to face Frank Cromwell, the man who had left him behind in Iraq.

Neither of them really wanted to talk about it, so they just collapsed in bed in each other's arms and went to sleep.

oooooooooooooooooooooo


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Jack knew the drugs Janet had given him were good when he woke up to find that Sam had been replaced by another blonde haired girl, one that was currently sitting on his chest.

"You're not Sam," he said.

"Nope," she giggled.

"Are you Charlie?" Jack asked.

"Noooo!" she giggled again.

"Ah! Then you must be Jacob," Jack said as seriously as he could given the fact he had a giggling girl on his stomach.

"No Daddy, I'm Jennifer," Jenn insisted as she reached out to try and poke his nose, only to have Jack grab her hands and flip her onto the bed.

"Are you sure?" he asked as he started tickling her.

"Yes Daddy," Jenn shrieked.

Suddenly Jack found himself with additional weight on his back.

"Help me Charlie," Jenn begged as Jack now tried to split his attention between his two children.

Jack only stopped his attack when he heard Sam at the door.

"I thought I told you two to wake him up and tell him supper was ready," Sam gently reprimanded, smiling the whole time.

"Sorry Mommy," Jenn said as she used the distraction to wiggle out from under Jack.

"Yeah me too Mom," Charlie added as he released his grip on Jack.

"It was my fault Sam," Jack claimed.

Sam gave him a quick glance with raised eyebrows. "Somehow I doubt that it was _all_ your fault," she said doubtfully. "Come on, let's go eat," she instructed, herding the kids out of their bedroom so Jack could get dressed and join them.

Sam turned to leave, only to be stopped by Jack's voice.

"Hey Sam? I love you," he said smiling at his wife.

Sam smiled, turned around, and went back to Jack, who had yet to move from the bed. She gave him a quick kiss. "I love you too Jack. Always," she declared.

"I'm so glad that you weren't leading that mission," Jack admitted. "Henry was a good friend, but I can't even imagine loosing you."

"Me neither," Sam whispered.

Before Jack could stop her from leaving, Sam was out the door.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

The next mission saw Daniel trapped in the body of an elderly man. No one was as happy as Hammond that they were able to reverse the process for fear of having to find two members to add to SG-1, given that there was still not a permanent replacement for Sam yet.

Then during the week Jack was supposed to be coaching a Charlie's baseball team and Jenn's softball team in their league tournaments, he was stuck watching Apophis die a slow death as Sokar attacked the base. Once the threat was over, Jack was happy to escape the base and made it to the second round of games just in the nick of time.

Sam followed as soon as she made sure the iris and the gate were in acceptable condition. She arrived just in time to pick up the pieces for a daughter who had just lost her first softball game- ever.

"You can't win every time," Sam said as she attempted to console her distraught daughter.

"Why not?" Jenn sniffled.

Sam paused to think about her own life. "Because if you won every game, you wouldn't appreciate it as much," she finally declared.

"Oh. Can we still get ice cream?" she asked, concerned that losing might affect what had become the post game tradition of the Carter-O'Neill household.

"And cake!" Jack reminded her as he picked up the bag of equipment. "Don't forget the cake Jenn; it's more important to the post game celebration than ice cream."

"Uh-uh."

"Uh-huh."

"Uh-uh."

"Uh-huh."

Sam shared a smile with Charlie as they followed the rest of their family out of the ballpark.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

The fact the SGC almost wiped out an entire civilization with a downed UAV should have worried Sam, but she was honestly happy that it hadn't happened sooner. It did provided the opportunity for Sam to step through the Stargate for the first time in months. One quick fix later, everything was back to normal on the planet.

A week later, a young boy showed up at the SGC, asking to be called 'Charlie'. The revelation that his mother was a strange alien, from a race called the Re'tu and could make herself invisible caused General Hammond to put a call in to the Tok'ra. They came and helped end a possible threat that the rebel group of Re'tu presented. It took some quick talking on Sam's part for Jack to let 'Charlie' go with the Tok'ra and have a symbiote implanted in order to fix his rapidly failing body. Although Sam didn't voice her concern, she was uneasy about sending the child off with a group of people, most of whom had very little experience with children.

Sam was glad that Jack's worries about 'Charlie' went out the window as he coached the real Charlie's team to their second little league tournament championship. She was most proud of her daughter though, as she congratulated her brother on his success, despite not sharing his fortune.

Home life for the O'Neill family had settled down quite a bit. Jack had sold his house to Mark and he and Sam were now house hunting for a bigger place, with the intentions of expanding their family. Jacob had already decided to buy Sam's house from her when she and Jack finally found a new place. He was truly enjoying his role as a grandfather and his part time job at the SGC which kept him in the know about what his son-in-law and daughter faced every day.

After what seemed like their millionth visit to a house with a realtor, Jack was ready to give up.

"This one has just been placed on the market and needs a little work," the realtor claimed before she opened the door to an older home that was in the perfect location. Only a few houses down from Mark's house, less than a fifteen minute drive to the SGC, and not far from the park where Charlie and Jenn played ball during the summer.

Jack took a look at the front of the house and couldn't see any major problems. Sure the yard needed mowed and the flower beds could use some work, but the house was a beautiful, well built home. The previous owners had built the house twenty years ago, and had taken good care of it, at least from what Jack could see every time he was there for a neighborhood picnic. They had been a nice older couple that had served as foster parents ever since their youngest had left home for college. The cold weather had finally gotten to them and they had made the move South the previous winter.

Jack watched as Sam looked around the house. It had always reminded him of his cabin with the big open rooms and lots of space. There was a big fenced in back yard, with plenty of room for a dog.

Sam was in awe of the house. It was an older two story house, with plenty of charm, but anyone could see that the previous owners had taken good care of the place, renovating it to keep up with improvements to appliances. The basement was finished, creating a large play room or rec room for the kids. There were also six bedrooms, along with a den, three full bathrooms, a kitchen that overlooked the huge living room, and the final seller was the balcony attached to the master bedroom, which would create the perfect spot for stargazing with Jack's telescope.

Sam raised her eyebrows in question to Jack and he smiled back. "We'll take it," Jack declared.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

It took them almost a month to give everything signed and moved, given that Sam, Jack, Teal'c, and Daniel spent almost a week back in 1969. All of their friends showed up to help them move in, though with an agreement from Jacob, they actually didn't move as many pieces of furniture as they could have. They had bought all new bedroom and living room furniture of the house.

"It just doesn't make sense for you guys to move it all to the new house," Jacob insisted, "And then have to go out and buy more furniture that won't match. Consider it a wedding present," Jacob claimed as Jack tried to protest.

Sam had shaken her head at her father's insistence, but knew that there was no way they could talk him out of it. So Jack had taken her to a friend who did his own woodworking, and Sam had fallen in love with the handcrafted furniture, purchasing four bedroom sets.

Shopping had never been one of Jack's favorite things, but shopping with Sam was almost fun. She was so similar to him in her taste and style, bypassing anything that looked nice but was uncomfortable, that he knew he would feel at home, even in their new house.

There was one time during their shopping trip when Sam's eyes had shown pain, but Jack had been right there to comfort her.

"Give it time, it will happen," he whispered as he wrapped her in a hug from behind, watching as her eyes gazed longingly at the beautiful hand crafted crib.

"I'm trying. I just never thought it would take this long," Sam admitted.

"Hey! It will happen," Jack insisted, turning her head to that she looked into his eyes. "Maybe we'll just have to try harder," he joked.

Sam huffed and hid her face in Jack's chest, muffling her laughter. "I love you," she said, meeting his eyes once more.

"Always," Jack promised.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

The next mission once again put Jack and Sam into the field together. And Sam was glad for it when she found out just how long they had been missing. She couldn't fathom spending all that time worrying about Jack. Still, having Jack there to hold her tight when they discovered that they had been lied to made things easier, until Hathor forced a symbiote on him.

Sam didn't even think twice about volunteering to go back into the compound and try to destroy the shield generator. She wasn't sure what Colonel Makepeace thought her reasoning was, and she really didn't care that she pretty much defied a direct order to rescue her husband.

The SGC personnel that returned to the SGC that day were all greeted by a friendly face in retired General Jacob Carter, who had taken over the base in Hammond's absence. He had no qualms about breaking military decorum to sweep his daughter into a hug and then repeat the process with a much more embarrassed Jack.

"I thought I had lost you two," Jacob said.

"Never," promised Jack. "How are the kids?"

"Worried. They'll be glad to see you two," Jacob explained as they headed for the infirmary. "Jenny skipped kindergarten and went straight to first grade," he added nonchalantly.

"I missed her first day of school," Sam said heartbroken at the fact.

"I took lots of pictures," Jacob claimed, trying to brighten his daughter's mood.

"I missed Charlie's first day too," Jack reminisced. "That mission is still classified, I think."

Not even two steps into the infirmary, Doctor Janet Fraiser greeted the husband and wife duo, threatening needles and full exams.

"I'll let you go home tonight if you agree to let me run all the tests that I need to," she offered.

Jack and Sam both held out the arms willingly, wanting nothing more than to have their children in their arms right then. General Hammond even shortened the briefing so that the couple could make it to the school in time to pick up their children.

In fact, Sam was so unwilling to wait for school to finish, that she dragged Jack to the main office and had the secretary call the kids down to the office.

When the kids saw their parents standing in the office, it took Jack and Sam steadying each other not to collapse under the tackle from Charlie. It ended up being a tearful reunion between parents and children. Even Jack shed a few tears, though he would have denied it if anyone tried to call him on it.

"I missed you guys," Sam said as she tried to hug both Jenn and Charlie at the same time, though it was quite a feat considering Jenn was currently latched onto Jack's neck, head buried in his shoulder. The parents and children tried catching up while they waited for the bell to ring so they could go talk to Jenn's teacher.

"We missed you too Mom," Charlie said in a muffled voice with his arms wrapped tight around Sam's waist.

"And what's this I hear that you skipped kindergarten young lady," Jack said in an accusing tone, poking Jenn in the side, which got him a giggle.

"They made me take a bunch of tests Daddy because I said kindergarten was too easy. Now I'm in the first grade with Mrs. Murdock. And we have a pet hamster. We didn't have pets in kindergarten," Jenn explained in a rush of words. "Can we get a hamster Daddy?"

"No," Jack and Sam said at the same time, trading glances.

"There will be no pets in our household," Jack declared.

"Please Daddy?" Jenn pouted.

"No," Jack said, though a little less convincingly this time. "Well maybe we can talk your mom into a dog."

"What's up with you Charlie?" Sam asked as they followed Jack and Jenn down the hallway, towards Jenn's classroom.

"We're studying the scientific method in science," Charlie said excitedly, "And we're getting ready to do projects for the science fair. Will you help me with my project Mom? I want to make a volcano!"

Sam looked at Jack, lost for words. "Well Charlie, volcanoes really aren't my thing, but I'm sure we can figure it out," Sam quickly assured him.

"I'm sure you can figure it out Sam," Jack assured her. "It involves blowing stuff up, so you'll be fine."

"Then why don't you help him Jack?" Sam retorted quickly.

Jack quickly raised the hand that wasn't holding Jenn in a move of surrender.

"I take it you're Jennifer's parents? Mr. and Mrs. Carter?" an older woman, who Sam guessed to be Mrs. Murdock, asked as she smiled at Jenn who had yet to move out of Jack's arms.

"O'Neill," Jack corrected.

"O'Neill?" Mrs. Murdock repeated.

"Jenn, why don't you go read with Charlie," Sam suggested, not wanting her daughter to hear this conversation. As far as Sam was concerned, some day Jenn would be told that her real father was not Jack, but there was no sense in confusing the girl now.

Sam watched her pull a book out and begin to read to Charlie while the three adults settled around a table.

"Jenn is my daughter from a previous relationship. Jack and I only recently got married, and we haven't discussed the whole name change thing in regards to Jenn," Sam explained.

"Ah. So Jacob is your dad," Mrs. Murdock clarified, indicating Sam.

"Yes ma'am," Jack answered.

"And you're all three in the Air Force, and can be gone on missions for unspecified lengths of times," Mrs. Murdock again asked for clarification.

"Yes."

"Okay. Obviously Jennifer is now in my first grade class when she is supposed to be in kindergarten. Her kindergarten teacher noticed that she seemed bored in class and after some testing, it was determined to move her on ahead to the first grade. Her grandfather agreed. I'm hoping that this doesn't cause any problems?" Mrs. Murdock asked.

"How's she doing?" Sam asked curiously.

"Still one of the top students in the class. High test scores, reading at several grades above grade level. Excellent math and science skills and a vocabulary of children twice her age. The only thing lacking at times is her social skills, but I'm not sure if that is because she is at a level above the rest of the class or she just doesn't know how to interact with the other kids," Mrs. Murdock said honestly. "Jacob commented several times that you were a lot like that during your childhood Mrs. O'Neill."

"Trust me, it's not a lack of social skills," Jack interrupted. "Jenn rarely stops talking at home, it just takes her a while to get comfortable, but once she does, you won't be able to get her to shut up."

Sam tried to look mad at Jack but ended up laughing anyway. "As much as I hate to say this, he's right. Enjoy the quiet while it lasts."

Jack made a show out of searching his pockets for a notebook. "Gotta write this down. First time I've been right," he muttered. Sam elbowed him.

"How about I monitor the situation and I let you know if I have any more concerns," Mrs. Murdock suggested.

Sam stood up and shook hands with Mrs. Murdock. "We have to go out of town on occasion, so if you can't get a hold of us, my father or even my brother who are listed as Jenn's emergency contacts can probably provide any information or make any decision you would need us to."

"Do you go out of town often?" Mrs. Murdock asked worriedly.

Sam and Jack exchanged glances.

"Often enough. We work in a classified deep space radar telemetry project that has us going on missions, often with little or no notice. The kids are used to it though," Jack assured her.

"That's good to know," Mrs. Murdock responded, slightly uncomfortable with the idea of parents not being there to raise their children, but this couple was not the first set of military parents she had met through her students. "I just have one question for the two of you. I noticed that you call Jennifer, Jenn, while her grandfather calls her Jenny, yet everyone else has to call her Jennifer or she doesn't respond. Why is that?"

Jack looked at Sam with the 'I don't have a clue' expression.

"There are a couple other people, like Charlie and her Uncle Daniel that call her Jenny, but for the most part she insists on being called Jennifer. I really don't know why," Sam admitted.

"Huh. Interesting," Mrs. Murdock commented. "It's not a big deal, it's just something I noticed and wondered if there was a reason for it."

By this time the kids were looking at their parents, ready to go.

"Can we go now?" Jennifer asked eagerly. "Grandpa promised cake for supper."

"Well if Grandpa promised cake," Jack said, looking at Sam for permission.

"Go," she said with a flick of her hand and a smile towards her husband, who picked up Jenn and threw her over his shoulder. Charlie quickly moved to follow.

Jack leaned in for a quick kiss. "I'll see you at home Sam," he said before leading the way out of the classroom.

Sam smiled in apology to Mrs. Murdock. "I wish I could tell you that Jack's not always like that, but then I'd be lying," she admitted.

"Don't worry about it," the teacher assured Sam as they shook hands, "I much prefer his… childish… behavior to that of an upset parent."

"I know what you mean," Sam agreed, thinking about the repeated discussions between her and Jack about getting a dog, which always seemed to dissolve into him begging like a five year old for a puppy.

oooooooooooooooooooooo


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

That night Sam was really glad she had insisted on a king size bed for their new house because her and Jack were currently sharing their bed with Charlie and Jenn. It wasn't often they let the kids sleep with them, but tonight Sam wanted nothing more than to have everyone that she loved close to her, and that included her children, who were currently snuggled between her and Jack.

Sam studied each of them, taking in how much they had grown while she had been gone. Jenn looked more and more like her every day, and if her teachers were right, had inherited her intelligence as well. Charlie looked so much like Jack it was scary. His hair stuck up in the same manner as Jack, and like Jenn, he had started using some of Jack's favorite sayings, especially "For cryin' out loud."

She caught Jack starring at her.

"I love you," he said with his eyes.

Sam just hoped that her eyes reflected the same thing back.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

The next several months, Jack continued to search for a new science officer for SG-1, but more times then not, drew missions which required Sam's expertise or had an Earth side component. They took down Goa'uld on Earth named Seth, even taking Jacob and the Tok'ra representative Selmak with them on that particular mission.

Thor proceeded to send a message to the Goa'uld that Earth now fell under the protected planets treaty and anyone that wanted to mess with his new 'friends' would have to go through the Asgard to do it.

Jack had never been so scared of something that was that small and naked before in his life. But he was glad that Thor was on their side.

Next, they were all convinced that Daniel had gone insane when really it was just another one of Machello's anti-Goa'uld devices.

The knowledge that Merrin brought to the SGC allowed Sam to build a naquadah reactor, even if Jack was worried about the fact the girl didn't have an idea about what 'fun' was. An hour with him, Cassie, and some paint quickly changed that, and SG-1's return to her planet proved that one small experience had changed her life and the way the people of her planet cared for their children.

When an alternate Samantha Carter came limping through the quantum mirror accompanied by none other than Charlie Kawalsky, it didn't take much for Jack to agree to help her and Kawalsky save their world from Goa'uld control. He made his teammates promise not to tell Sam or anyone for that matter, about the two year old twins they rescued on the other side, each of them an obvious combination of Sam and Jack. Jack knew in that instant that he was being given a glimpse of his future; he only had to be patient and wait for it to happen.

The next three missions weren't picnics either as they almost lost Teal'c on some ultra-religious medieval planet, the whole team to some over zealous teenage soldiers, and Daniel at the hand of his own wife.

Jack could see Sam struggling with the news that Martouf had been captured by Sokar and the request by the Tok'ra that she use Jolinar's memories to rescue him. It wasn't until a month later, after the foothold situation, that he understood her concern.

Janet had called her back for some extra blood tests and Jack thought it was just because she wanted to check that the sedative used by the aliens had successfully left her system.

Sam let Janet escort her into Janet's office, affording them some privacy that they wouldn't have elsewhere in the infirmary. Janet's eyes sparkled as she waited for her friend to sit down.

Without any preface Janet blurted out the words, "You're pregnant."

Sam gasped and then held her breath, almost as though she was waiting for the other shoe to fall.

It didn't.

"Are you sure?" she asked, grabbing Janet's arm.

"I ran the test three times Sam. I'd say that's pretty conclusive," Janet assured her.

Sam smiled and got up, heading for the door, a plan forming in her mind as to how she was going to deliver this news to Jack. "Don't tell anyone please. I want to tell Jack first," she explained.

"I'll hold the report until after the weekend," Janet promised. "Just promise me you won't do any gate travel in the meantime," she requested.

"I promise," Sam assured her.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Valentines weekend had snuck up on the O'Neill household. Christmas had come and gone almost two months before, with both the kids receiving more presents than Sam and Jack figured they could actually play with in an entire week, let alone a day!

But despite the fact it was a weekend when most couples tried to get away, Sam and Jack made plans just to be with their family. The mission schedule the past few months had been so busy that it seemed like they hadn't had time to see either Charlie or Jenn.

Sam was already contemplating requesting that General Hammond give her a permanent reassignment to the labs so that she could be home more. There was more than enough work to keep her busy and she hadn't gone out with any team other than SG-1 in months, mostly because Jack still hadn't found a suitable replacement for her on his team yet or her expertise was specifically required.

They were getting ready for bed when Jack said, "I'm asked Hammond to assign you back to SG-1 on a permanent basis. He said-"

"No," Sam interrupted him.

"What? Why not? It's not like you don't go out with us all the time anyway," Jack explained.

"I know and-"

"If you're worried about the whole chain of command issue, Hammond was already thinking about ways around it," Jack offered.

Sam shook her head. "It's not that Jack-"

"Then what is it Sam?" Jack demanded.

Sam looked at him and sighed. "I was waiting until tomorrow to tell you," she paused dramatically, "I'm pregnant."

Jack gaped. "Are you… are you sure?" he asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Yeah."

Jack smiled and pulled his wife to him. "I will be there for every second of this," he promised.

Sam looked at him in doubt.

"Well not every second, but as much as I can be," Jack corrected. "You are okay with this right?"

Sam smiled and rested her head against Jack's chest. "Very happy," she responded, and she truly was.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Everything was going great until SG-1 went on a mission to Edora.

And Jack didn't come back.

Sam told herself over and over again that he was okay, that he had somehow survived the "fire rain" and would be home when their baby arrived in five months.

"I'm fine," Sam insisted, not even looking up from her computer when someone walked into her lab this time.

"No you're not," Jacob Carter said as he came to stand next to his daughter. "You're four months pregnant, your husband is stranded on another planet, and the only way to get him home in less then a year is for you to build some device that physics says isn't possible. I know how much you want Jack home, but as your father, I can't let you keep doing this. It's not good for you or for your and Jack's baby," Jacob reminded her.

Sam's head dropped to her chest and her hand went to her stomach, the spot where her baby resided. When she finally looked up at Jacob, there were tears in her eyes. "This time was supposed to be different, you know? With Jenn, it was just the two of us. Jack's supposed to be here for this, he promised to be here for this! And the only reason he's not is because I can't figure out how to make this stupid machine work!" Sam exclaimed, tossing down the tool she had been using.

Jacob wrapped his arms around his daughter, holding her close to him. "It's not your fault," he repeated over and over again. When Sam finally stopped, Jacob pulled back and looked her in the eye. "I have no doubt in my mind that Jack wants nothing more then to be home with you and the kids right now, but he would never forgive himself if something happened to you or the baby because you pushed yourself too hard to get him home. Come home tonight," he suggested.

Sam nodded in agreement. She ended up going home every night from there on out.

And though she would never admit it, having Jenn and Charlie around helped ease the hold that had tightened around her heart, the fear that all of this would be for nothing, because Jack wasn't alive on Edora.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Jack spent the first two weeks trying to find the Stargate before he gave up, putting all his efforts into helping the Edorans prepare for the winter. He spent two more weeks camped in a tent until Laira and Paynan invited him to live in their home, along with their son Garan, whom Jack later learned was the product of Laira's first marriage.

Every moment Jack could spare was spent watching the sky, looking for a sign that someone was coming for him. His only hope was that Sam and their baby were doing okay, that she wasn't overly worried about him. As horrible as it sounded, he almost hoped that she thought he was dead rather then making herself sick trying to get him home.

When the expected day of arrival for their child came and went, Jack took the day off from what had become his routine to journey to the Stargate.

Or at least where he thought the Stargate was.

He was surprised to hear a constant tapping sound, as though someone was trying to break through the ground and reach the surface. Jack ran and pulled the shovel out of his tent, where it he had stored it months before. With a newfound need, he began to dig, desperately hoping that he wouldn't be too late.

And that whoever was on the other side was a friend.

Jack figured that they broke through just in time. Teal'c said nothing of his wife or children other then "They are well O'Neill." Jack took that to mean Teal'c wasn't going to tell him anything and that there was nothing overly right or wrong that couldn't wait until he got home.

The villagers helped them dig out the gate and the DHD, but it still took three days for them to get everything setup so they could contact the SGC.

"Come on through Colonel, we've got the door open," Hammond ordered via radio.

Surprisingly, he wasn't met by anyone other then Doctor Fraiser, who rushed him off to the infirmary for lots of tests with big needles. "Where's Sam?" Jack asked the first chance he got.

"She's fine sir," Janet informed him before sticking a tongue depressor in his mouth.

"Can I see her?"

"Not until I clear you," Janet answered.

"And the baby?"

"They didn't tell you?" Janet asked in disbelief.

"No."

"Oh. Mother and baby are doing just fine," Janet assured him. "Give me thirty minutes to get your preliminary test results back, during which time you can get a shower and something to eat and if everything is clear, you can see the two of them."

Jack skipped out the door on the way to his first shower in months.

Twenty-nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds later, Jack O'Neill stepped through the door of the infirmary. Janet Fraiser beckoned him with a wave of her hand to follow her. She led him down the hallway to a private room. She stood on her tiptoes to look through the window.

"It looks like they're both still asleep," she whispered before swiping her security card to give Jack access to the room.

Jack used his stealth training to move silently into the room, making sure that the only sound the door made as it shut was a soft 'click'. He took a couple of seconds to do a quick recon of the room. In one corner of the room was the bed that Sam was currently passed out on, looking exhausted, but otherwise none the worse for the wear. What captured his interest was the crib setup next to the bed. He noted that it was the crib he had ordered seven months ago from his woodworking friend. The exact same crib that Sam had admired when they had went furniture shopping. Quietly, he tiptoed towards the crib, expecting to find a sleeping child.

Instead, he found a little boy with Sam's blue eyes and a small tuff of dark hair, looking back at him, happily drooling all over a tiny fist. Jack reached down to pick the boy up, and discovered that he was wearing a gray infant onesie that said 'My Daddy's in the Air Force'. Chuckling quietly, Jack cradled the infant to his chest and began doing all the things that parents do the first time they see their children.

He counted fingers and toes, noting that there were ten of each, examined the face of the boy and realized that he had mostly his features, except for the eyes and nose, which, without a doubt came from Sam.

As the boy started to fuss a little bit, Jack surveyed the room and realized that is was perfectly setup for a baby. He pulled a bottle from the fridge and heated it up before feeding the little boy. Only after burping him and changing his diaper, did Jack look at Sam once more. She was still fast asleep on the bed, having slept through all the noise the two of them had made, reinforcing Jack's belief that she was exhausted.

Jack was tired too, but didn't want to give up his hold on his son. So he settled himself on top of the second bed in the room, cradling his son on his chest. Only then did he realize that the infant had a small bracelet on his wrist. 'Baby O'Neill' Jack read, causing him to smile. He had never seen Charlie at this age.

Jack drifted off to sleep, watching his nameless son sleep on his chest.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

The first thing Sam realized when she woke up was how late it was.

The second was that Conner should have woken her up a long time ago because he was hungry.

The third was the realization that Conner wasn't in his crib, making her wonder who had him now.

The fourth was that given the time, and the fact that no one had come to get her, she had probably sent Teal'c on a suicide mission, one that he wasn't coming back from.

The fifth was that someone else was in the room with her, and whoever it was, was talking to her.

"Hey there little man, it looks like your mommy finally woke up," the voice said.

A very familiar voice.

Sam turned around slowly.

Very slowly.

And what she saw was the best thing she had seen in months.

There, sitting on the other bed in the room, feeding their son was her husband.

Sam tried biting her lip in an attempt to keep the tears away, but the attempt failed miserably as she rushed to be at Jack's side.

Careful of Conner, who was happily chugging down a bottle, Sam threw her arms around her husband.

Jack somehow managed to shift the baby so he could get one arm around Sam and still have a good hold on the boy.

Sam rested her head against Jack's shoulder. "So I see you've met Conner," she finally said.

"So that's his name," Jack joked. "I'm glad that you took my advice and didn't name him Jonathan."

"Conner Jacob, actually," Sam admitted, "But don't think that it didn't cross my mind."

They were both silent as they watched their son for a few minutes.

"Can I call him C.J.?" Jack finally asked.

"I suppose," Sam agreed with an exaggerated sigh.

"Good."

Still more silence filled the room until after C.J. finished eating, had been burped, and put in his crib to sleep.

"You did real good Sam," Jack finally said, wrapping his arms around Sam, "Real good."

"You know," Sam reminded him, "He is half yours."

"Yeah, but once again, I missed the biggest part of things, just getting to be here for the fun stuff."

Sam snorted. "If you think 3 am feedings are fun, then you are more then welcome to them."

Jack didn't hesitate. "I'll take every single one," he vowed.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

With that promise, Jack put things in motion to make sure that he would not miss anything else. The addition of more teams to the SGC had left Jacob with more work then he could possibly keep up with.

So with Sam's approval, Jack filed his request for a change of position. Hammond reluctantly accepted, with the agreement that Sam would return to SG-1 at the end of her maternity leave. Jack thought that meant she would be the team leader, but to his surprise, a Marine Colonel was given the position as team leader.

Two weeks later, General Hammond revealed that he had suspected Makepeace was a traitor, and had placed him on team he trusted the most to find out if his suspicions were correct.

They were.

So along with a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, Sam was given command of SG-1. Of course, it would be another at least another month before she would return to active duty and that was only if she pushed it, which Sam definitely wasn't. She was enjoying the opportunity she had to spend time with her entire family.

Like the night that Sam, Jack, Charlie, Jenn, and Conner watched, or in Conner's case, slept through two movies, one each of Jenn and Charlie's choosing.

"I love you," Jack whispered as he watched Charlie put his arm around Jenn during one of the more scary parts.

"What a coincidence, 'cause I love you too," Sam whispered back.

"Shh!" Two voices said, not taking their eyes of the screen.

Conner somehow slept through Sam and Jack's muffled laughter. After the couple tucked all three kids in for the night, Sam snuggled up to Jack.

"Did you ever think that you weren't going to make it home?" Sam asked.

"No," Jack assured her. "After the first couple of months though, I resigned myself to the fact it was just going to take a while."

"I'm sorry it took so long."

Jack latched on to Sam's hand, giving it a squeeze. "Sam you were four months pregnant at the time. The fact you built something that everyone said would be impossible to build in a little over five months amazes me. Sure, I missed out on things, but it worked out in the end. And I won't miss out on that stuff the next time."

Sam raised her eyebrows. "Does that mean you're expecting me to go through 'that stuff' again?"

Jack studied his wife. This was a trick question, one that he knew there was no right answer to. Hi only objective was to come up with the least wrong answer so that he could avoid spending the night on the couch.

"I have to admit that I would nothing more then to have a dozen kids with you, but given how your last two pregnancies have gone in the way of support from the father of the child, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to have any more kids. Right now though, I'm going to enjoy the kids that we have, do my best to spoil them rotten, and maybe we'll talk about adding another boy to the family somewhere down the line. What do you think?"

"If we're having more kids, we're having a girl. Your son kicked way worse then Jenn ever did," Sam complained.

Jack smiled, "A girl wouldn't be bad either you know. Jenn's turned out to be pretty good at sports, for a girl."

Sam huffed and elbowed her husband in the side. "Just for that, I hope that the next two or three are girls!"

Jack smiled triumphantly. "I think I win either way," he declared as his lips descended to meet Sam's.

Sam broke off the kiss to look her husband in the eye. "Maybe we should just get a dog instead," she suggested.

The change of expression on Jack's face made Sam laugh, and she smiled, letting Jack know that both things were still possibilities.

The End

AN: Thank you for all your wonderfull reviews throughout this story, I really appreciated them!


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